Star Wars

The Black Fleet Crisis Trilogy

Book One

Before the Storm

by  Michael P. Kube-McDowell

BEFORE THE STORM

It is a time of tranquillity for the New Republic. The remnants of  the

Empire now lie in complete disarray,  the re-emergence of the Jedi  Knights

has brought power and  prestige to the  fledgling government on  Coruscant.

Yesterday's Rebels have  become today's administrators  and diplomats,  and

the factions that fought against  Imperial tyranny seem united in  savoring

the fruits of peace.

But the  peace is  short-lived. A  restless Luke  must journey  to  his

mother's homeworld in a desperate and dangerous quest to find her people.

An adventurous  Lando  must  seize a  mysterious  spacecraft  that  has

weapons of enormous power and an unknown mission. And Leia a living  symbol

of the New Republic's  triumph, must face down  the ruthless leader of  the

Duskhan League, an arrogant Yevetha who seems bent on a genocidal war  that

could shatter the fragile unity of  the New Republic and threaten its  very

survival.

In memory  of my  grandfather, Dayton  Percival Deich,  1896-1975,  who

believed in a universe of wonders beyond this Earth.

And for my children,

Matthew Tyndall, born 1983,

and Amanda Kathryn, born 1995.

May their  lives  be joyful  journeys  through their  own  universe  of

wonders.

Author's note

Three people stand out above all  others in deserving my gratitude  and

appreciation, though my poor words are  hardly the equal of their gifts  to

me. Those three are Gwendolyn Zak, my best friend, SO, and POSSLQ, for  her

unwavering love, patience, support, and  faith; Tom Dupree, my editor,  for

believing in me and giving me a chance; and Russ Galen, my agent, for going

out on a limb and trusting me not to saw it off behind him. This book would

not exist without them and their contributions.

I also want  to thank  Gwen, Matt, and  Arlyn, for  being such  helpful

("Didn't you blow  up this  ship in the  last chapter?  ") and  encouraging

("All right-where's the rest of it? What? Go write more! ") first  readers.

Sue Rostoni  at Lucasfilm  saw to  it that  I had  all the  references  and

resources I asked for, and then applied her extensive knowledge of the Star

Wars universe to keep me from violating the historical record as often as I

tried to. Fellow  SW novelists  Vonda Mcintyre, Roger  MacBride Allen,  and

Kevin J. Anderson generously  shared their insights and  their maps of  the

minefields. Also pitching in with SW trivia and general encouragement  were

Rich Mason, Timothy O'Brien, Matt Hart,  Skip Shayotovich, and the rest  of

the Star Wars fan communities on GEnie and CompuServe.

The writing of Before the Storm  bracketed a long-awaited move and  the

even longer-awaited  birth  of  a  daughter. Generous  gifts  of  time  and

perspiration from Rod  and Marion  Zak, Tracy Holland,  Greg Cronau,  Arlyn

Wilson, Mary Ellen Wessels, Faye Wessels, Mike Thelan, Roberta Kennedy, and

other friends and family  members allowed us  to survive those  transitions

and me to keep working.

Finally, I'd like to thank George Lucas, for his blessing to tell  this

story in his wonderful universe-which  I first visited nearly twenty  years

ago in a theater in  Mishawaka, Indiana. If someone  had told me then  that

someday I'd have  a chance to  add a few  chapters to the  life stories  of

Luke, Han, Leia, and their friends and enemies, I'd have just laughed.

As it is, I'm still smiling.

- Michael P. Kube-McDowell September 12, 1995

Okemos, Michigan

Prologue

Eight months after  the Battle  of Endor The  Empire's orbiting  repair

yard at N'zoth, code-named Black 15, was of standard Imperial design,  with

nine great shipways arrayed in a square. On the morning of the retreat from

N'zoth, all nine slips were occupied by Imperial warships.

Under most circumstances, nine Star Destroyers together would have been

an intimidating sight to any who might come under their guns.

But on the morning of the retreat from N'zoth, only one of the nine was

ready for space.

That was the sorry assessment of Jian Paret, commander of the  Imperial

garrison at N'zoth, as he looked out on the yards from his command  center.

The orders he had received hours ago were still playing before his eyes

"You are ordered to evacuate the planetary garrison to the last man, at

best possible speed, using any and all ships that are spaceworthy.  Destroy

the repair yard and  any and all remaining  assets before withdrawing  from

the system. "

Paret's assessment  was shared  by Nil  Spaar, master  of the  Yevethan

underground, as he rode the work shuttle up from the surface with the first

commando team. The orders he had given hours ago were still ringing in  his

ears

"Notify all teams that an Imperial evacuation has been ordered. Execute

the primary plan without delay. It is our day for retribution. Our blood is

in those vessels, and they will be ours.  May each of us honor the name  of

the Yevetha today. "

Nine ships.

Nine prizes.

The most badly damaged, Redoubtable,  had taken terrible punishment  in

the retreat from Endor.  The others ranged from  old medium cruisers  being

upgraded and recommissioned, to the EX-F, a weapons and propulsion test bed

built on a Dreadnaught hull.

The key to them all was the massive Star DestroyerIntimidator ,  moored

at one of the open slips.

Spaceworthy but completely unblooded, it had been sent to Black 15 from

the Core for finish work, to free up a Super-class shipway at the command's

home shipbuilding yard.

There was more than  enough room aboard it  for the garrison, and  more

than enough firepower aboard to destroy the yard and the hulls within.

Paret transferred his command to the bridge of theIntimidator within an

hour of receiving his orders.

ButIntimidator could not leave the yard as quickly as Paret would  have

liked. He had only one-third of a standard crew aboard, a single  watch-too

few hands to quickly ready a ship of that size to fly free.

Moreover, nine of  every ten workers  on Black 15  were Yevetha.  Paret

despised the gaudy-faced skeletons.

He would have liked to seal the ship in the interest of security, or to

draft additional work  details in  the interest  of speed.  But either  act

would prematurely alert the Yevetha  that the occupation force was  leaving

N'zoth, threatening the withdrawal from the surface.

All Paret would do was call a surprise departure drill and wait out its

lengthy checks and  countdowns, letting  the normal  work details  continue

until the troop transports  and the governor's shuttle  had lifted off  and

were en route. Then, and only then,  could his crew close the hatches,  cut

the moorings, and turn its back on N'zoth.

Nil Spaar knew of Commander Paret's dilemma.

He knew all that Paret knew, and much more. For more than five years he

had worked to position allies  of the underground throughout the  conscript

work-force.

Nothing of importance happened without  Nil Spaar's swiftly hearing  of

it. And he had taken the information he had collected and woven it into  an

elegant scheme.

He had put an  end to the  rash of minor  "mistakes" and "accidents,  "

demanding that those who  worked for the Empire  show diligence and  strive

for excellence-while learning  everything they  could about  the ships  and

their operation.  He  had seen  to  it  that the  Yevetha  made  themselves

indispensable to the Black Fleet's yard bosses and earned the trust of  its

commanders.

It was that  trust which had  allowed the work  slowdown in the  months

since the Battle of Endor  to go on unquestioned.  It was that trust  which

had given his Yevetha the run of both the yard and the ships moored in  the

slips.

And it was the patient and calculating exploitation of that trust which

had brought Nil Spaar and those who followed him to this moment.

He knew that  he no longer  need fear theHarridan  , the  Victory-class

Star Destroyer that had been protecting the yard and patrolling the system.

TheHarridan had been  ordered to  the front  three weeks  ago, joining  the

Imperial force fighting a losing rear-guard action at Notak.

He knew that Paret could not seal theIntimidator against his men,  even

by ordering a battle-stations lockdown. More than a dozen external  hatches

in Sections 17 and 21 had been rigged by Yevetha technicians to report that

they were secured when they were not,  and to report that they were  closed

when they were not.

He knew that even ifIntimidator  got free of the  slip in which it  was

moored, it  would not  have a  chance to  escape or  turn its  guns on  the

abandoned vessels. The packages  of explosives concealed  insideIntimidator

's hull would break it open like an egg the moment its shields went up  and

blocked the signal that was sating the bombs.

As the work shuttle neared the receiving dock, Nil Spaar felt no  fear,

no apprehension. Everything that could be done had been done, and there was

a joyful inevitability about the fighting to come. He had no doubt what the

outcome would be.

Nil Spaar and  the first commando  team enteredIntimidator through  the

hatches in Section  17, while his  second, Dar Bille,  and the backup  team

entered through Section 21.

There was no talking.  None was necessary. Every  member of both  teams

knew the layout of  the ship as  well as any  Imperial crewman. They  moved

through it like ghosts, down corridors closed or cleared by friends on work

details, through  crawlways  and up  access  ladders that  appeared  on  no

construction blueprint. In minutes they had reached the bridge-without ever

being challenged, or drawing a weapon, or firing a shot.

But they entered the bridge  with weapons drawn, knowing exactly  which

stations would be occupied, where the guard station was, who could sound  a

shipwide alarm.  Nil Spaar  shouted  out no  warnings, made  no  theatrical

announcement, demanded no surrender.

He simply walked briskly across the deck toward the executive  officer,

raised his blaster, and burned the officer's face away.

As he did, the rest of the team fanned out behind him, each to his  own

assigned target. Six ofIntimidator 's bridge  crew were struck down in  the

first seconds, sitting at their stations, because of the power that  rested

at their fingertips. The others,  including Commander Paret, quickly  ended

up facedown on the floor, hands bound behind them.

Taking the ship was not difficult. Timing the raid to avoid retribution

had always been the challenge.

"Signal from the governor's shuttle,  " called out a Yevetha  commando,

slipping into the seat at  the communications station. "The transports  are

leaving the surface. No trouble reported. "

Nil Spaar nodded approvingly. "Acknowledge the signal. Advise the  crew

that  we're  moving  out  to  pick   up  the  garrison.  Notify  the   yard

thatIntimidator is leaving. "

Like a cluster of insects returning to the hive, the fleet of  Imperial

transports rose from N'zoth toward the great dagger-shaped Star  Destroyer.

More than twenty  thousand citizens  of the  Empire were  crammed into  the

insect fleet-soldiers and bureaucrats, technicians and families.

"Open all hangars, " said Nil Spaar.

Their destination in sight,  the transports slowed  and began to  align

themselves on approach vectors.

"Activate all autotargeting batteries, " said Nil Spaar.

There was a collective gasp from the prisoners on the bridge, who  were

watching the same display screens as the Yevetha commandos who now occupied

their stations.

"You're all cowards, " Commander Paret called out to the invaders,  his

voice bitter with contempt and anger. "A real soldier would never do  this.

There's no honor in killing the defenseless. "

Nil Spaar ignored him. "Lock on targets. "

"You vicious, pathetic fool.  You've already won.  How can you  justify

this? "

"Fire, " said Nil Spaar.

The deck  plates  barely vibrated  as  the gun  batteries  erupted  and

approaching transports disappeared in balls  of fire and fragments. It  did

not take long. None escaped. Moments later the communications station began

to scream with shocked and panicked inquiries from all over the ship. There

had been many witnesses to the carnage.

Nil Spaar turned away from the tracking display and crossed the  bridge

to where Commander Paret lay on the decking. Grabbing the Imperial  officer

by the hair, he dragged Paret out of line and rolled him over roughly  with

his booted foot.  Seizing the  front of Paret's  tunic with  one hand,  Nil

Spaar lifted him half off  the deck. For a long  moment he loomed over  the

officer, looking like a tall, vengeful  demon with his cold, black,  widely

set  eyes,  the   white  slash  down   his  nasal  ridge,   and  the   deep

scarlet-splashed ridges that furrowed his cheeks and chin.

Then, hissing, the Yevetha made a fist with his free hand and cocked it

back. A sharp, curving dew-claw emerged from the swelling at his wrist.

"You are vermin, " Nil Spaar  said coldly, and slashed the claw  across

the Imperial captain's throat.

Nil Spaar held on  through the commander's  death throes, then  dropped

the body carelessly to the floor.

Turning, he looked down into the pit at the commando who had taken over

the communications station.

"Tell the crew that they are the prisoners of the Yevetha  Protectorate

and His Glory the viceroy, " said Nil Spaar, wiping his claw on the trouser

leg of his victim.

"Tell them  that beginning  today, their  lives depend  on their  being

useful to us. And then I wish to speak to the viceroy, and tell him of  our

triumph. "

Chapter 1.

Twelve years later

In the pristine  silence of space,  the Fifth Battle  Group of the  New

Republic Defense Fleet blossomed over the planet Bessimir like a beautiful,

deadly flower.

The  formation  of  capital  ships  sprang  into  view  with  startling

suddenness, trailing fire-white wakes of  twisted space and bristling  with

weapons. Angular Star Destroyers  guarded fat-hulled fleet carriers,  while

the assault cruisers, their mirror finishes gleaming, took the point.

A halo of smaller ships appeared at the same time.

The fighters  among  them quickly  deployed  in a  spherical  defensive

screen. As  the Star  Destroyers firmed  up their  formation, their  flight

decks quickly spawned scores of additional fighters.

At the  same time,  the carriers  and cruisers  began to  disgorge  the

bombers, transports, and gunboats they had ferried to the battle.

There was no reason to risk the  loss of cne fully loaded-a lesson  the

Republic had  learned  in pain.  At  Orinda,  the commander  of  the  fleet

carrierEndurance had kept his pilots waiting in the launch bays, to protect

the smaller craft from Imperial fire  as long as possible. They were  still

there whenEndurance took  the brunt of  a Super Star  Destroyer attack  and

vanished in a ball of metal fire.

Before long  more than  two  hundred warships,  large and  small,  were

bearing down on  Bessimir and its  twin moons. But  the terrible,  restless

power of the armada could be heard and felt only by the ships' crews.

The silence of the approach was broken only on the fleet comm channels,

which had crackled  to life  in the first  moments with  encoded bursts  of

noise and cryptic ship-to-ship chatter.

At the center of the formation of great vessels was the flagship of the

Fifth Battle Group,  the fleet carrierIntrepid  . She was  so new from  the

yards at Hakassi that  her corridors still reeked  of sealing compound  and

cleaning solvent. Her huge realspace  thruster engines still sang with  the

high-pitched squeal that the engine crews called "the baby's cry. "

It would take more than  a year for the mingled  scents of the crew  to

displace the chemical smells from the first impressions of visitors.

But after a hundred more hours under way, her engines' vibrations would

drop two octaves, to the reassuring thrum of a seasoned thruster bank.

OnIntrepid's bridge, a tall Dornean in general's uniform paced along an

arc of command stations  equipped with large  monitors. His eye-folds  were

swollen and  fanned by  an unconscious  Dornean defensive  reflex, and  his

leathery face was flushed purple by concern.

Before the  deployment was  even  a minute  old, Etahn  A'Faht's  first

command had been bloodied.

The fleet tender Ahazi had overshot its jump, coming out of  hyperspace

too close to Bessimir and too late for its crew to recover from the  error.

Etahn A'baht watched  the bright  flare of  light in  the upper  atmosphere

fromIntrepid's forward viewstation,  knowing that  it meant  six young  men

were dead.

But there  was no  time to  linger  over the  loss. The  monitors  were

flashing images from dozens  of scanners on ships  and spy satellites at  a

frenzied pace. Reports from the battle management section changed moment to

moment, almost as quickly as the master battle clock counted up the  tenths

and hundredths.

The assault plan  was too  intricate and  tightly scheduled  for a  few

deaths to  stop it.  Battle  management quickly  assigned a  reserve  fleet

tender to Ahazi's  section. May  your spirits fly  to the  zenith and  your

bodies rest peacefully in the depths, General A'baht thought, recalling  an

old Dornean sailors' blessing for the dead. Then he turned away and studied

the order of battle and tactical plan. There would be time to mourn later.

"Penetration phase complete,  " sang  out a  lieutenant at  one of  the

consoles. "Deployment  complete.  Assault leader  is  approaching  wave-off

failsafe and requests final authorization. "

"Penetration complete, copy, " echoed A'baht.

"Deployment complete, copy. All stations, call off. "

"Battle management, go. "

"Combat intelligence, go. "

"Tactical, go. "

"Communications, go. "

"Fleet ops, go. "

"Flight ops, go. "

"Ground ops, go. "

"I read the call  board as clear,  " General A'baht  said in a  strong,

confident  voice.  "Failsafe   authorization  is  go,   combat  rules   are

green-repeat, go green. "

"Authorization is  go  green,  copy,  "  acknowledged  the  lieutenant,

turning a key on his console. "Assault leader, the word is go-you are clear

to proceed. All weapons are live, and the target is hot. "

Almost at once,  a trio  of assault  cruisers and  their complement  of

K-wing bombers broke away and surged ahead of the primary formation.

Their new course would take them looping under the planet's south  pole

en route  to  their targets-the  primary  spacefighter base  and  planetary

defense batteries  located on  the alpha  moon, which  was still  over  the

horizon from the armada's jumppoint.

Pairs of speedy A-wing fighters flashed out of formation and fanned out

to  intercept  and   destroy  the   planet's  lightly   armed  sensor   and

communications satellites. The A-wings fired the first shots of the assault

on Bessimir, and did so with unerring accuracy, transforming their  targets

into sparkling clouds of metal and plasteel.

The A-wings  also  drew the  first  opposing fire.  Several  ion-cannon

batteries on  the surface  opened up  in a  vain attempt  to protect  their

high-orbiting eyes.  Moments  after  the ground  batteries  revealed  their

location, gunners on the lead Republic assault cruisers had them targeted.

High-powered lasers  on the  cruisers painted  the batteries,  blinding

ground sensors and testing for counterpunch fire from secondary sites.

When there was  none, the great  pulse cannon mounted  aboard the  Star

Destroyers methodically  turned the  ground  batteries into  smoking  black

craters. The only casualty  for the Republic was  an A-wing from  Blackfire

Flight, which picked up a sleeper mine  on the right wing while making  its

pass against a recon satellite.

On the  far side  of Bessimir,  the cruiser  detachment approached  the

alpha moon on  a high-speed  collision course. As  drone fighters  appeared

from concealed launch chutes on the surface, the big ships fanned out three

abreast and began releasing clusters of penetration bombs.

Tall as a man and tipped  by a reinforced spike, the black-cased  bombs

sped down toward  the fighter base  as the cruisers  veered off. The  drone

fighters rising from  the moon veered  off as well.  Moments later a  dozen

antiship batteries  on the  surface surrendered  their camouflage,  opening

fire on the infalling bombs.

But the penetration  bombs-propelled only  by inertia,  and with  their

casings as dark and nearly as cold as space itself-did not offer much of  a

target. Most fell  through the  defensive barrage  unmolested. Two  seconds

before impact, small  thrusters in the  tail of each  bomb fired,  slamming

them into the surface  at even greater speed  and driving them twice  their

length into the barren ground.

A moment  later,  with the  dust  of  impact still  rising,  the  bombs

exploded as one. The flash and flame were swallowed by the moon's face. But

the terrible concussion propagated downward  and outward through the  rock.

It shattered reinforced walls  like matchsticks, and collapsed  underground

chambers like eggshells. Great plumes of  gray dust shot out of the  launch

chutes, and the ground itself subsided over what had been the main hangar.

At the moment the  bombs exploded, Esege Tuketu  was flying lead in  an

eighteen-ship formation following the cruisers toward the alpha moon.

"Sweet mother of chaos, " he breathed, awestruck by the sight. For just

a moment, he took his hands off the controls of his K-wing and lowered  his

forehead against his crossed wrists-the Narvath gesture of surrender to the

fire that consumes all.

From the second seat of Tuketu's  bomber came an equally heartfelt  and

respectful "Wow! " voiced by his weapons technician. "And I don't care what

they say, " he added. "I felt that one. "

"Seemed like I did, too, Skids, " said Tuketu.

"No one had a better seat for it than we did, that's for sure. "

They watched carefully ahead with eyes as well as passive scanners.  No

more fighters emerged  from the  hidden base. The  antiship batteries  were

still.

But the drone fighters already launched fought on, even though deprived

of their  controllers.  Following  internal combat  protocols,  they  flung

themselves against the  largest targets,  the cruisers.  Agile but  lightly

armed, the drones did not last long. The cruisers batted them down like  so

many insects.

"Good shooting! "  Tuketu exclaimed.  None of  the other  crews in  the

formation  heard   him.   The   attack   force   was   following   blackout

protocols-including strict comm  silence, despite the  close formation  and

the critical timing of what lay ahead.

"This is going to work, " the weapons tech said hopefully. "Isn't it? "

"It has to, " said Tuketu, thinking about what lay ahead.

Only one real threat to the fleet remained-the great hypervelocity  gun

on the far  side of  the gravity-locked  moon. Like  a swift-footed  sentry

making its rounds, the alpha moon  would soon revolve around Bessimir to  a

point where the HV gun would have its pick of targets in the fleet.

According  to  the   New  Republic's  surveillance   droids,  the   gun

emplacement was both ray-shielded and particle-shielded. Moreover, with the

weapon's power plants  and shield  generator buried  deep in  the rock,  it

could easily survive  the sort of  assault that had  destroyed the  fighter

base. If Etahn A'baht's  capital ships had  to slug it  out with the  alpha

moon's big gun, the Fifth Battle  Group would surely lose several ships  in

the process. The key  to avoiding that outcome  lay with Tuketu's  eighteen

bombers.

"Coming up on the  break, " said Skids,  glancing at the mission  clock

and then at the broken surface of the alpha moon, rushing toward them.

"I'm on top of it, " said Tuketu.

"You'd better be, "  was the nervous reply.  "My mama's counting on  me

doing more with my life  than making a hole  in the ground someplace  where

they already got enough holes in the ground. "

"Break in ten, " said Tuketu. "Signaling the others. Break in five. " A

collision alarm began to  sound in the cockpit.  The moon's surface  seemed

terribly close.

"Break! "

The entire spaceship shuddered as the emergency deceleration  thrusters

roared and the nose of the K-wing  swung up toward the horizon. Tuketu  and

Skids were  slammed back  into their  flight couches  as the  moon  rotated

dizzily under them. Breathing came hard throughout the long moments of  the

pullout.

When the ship  stopped shaking and  it was possible  to breathe  again,

Tuketu's ship was  skimming the  surface of the  alpha moon  with only  two

other bombers nestled in behind. The  K-wings had scattered in six  groups,

each taking a  different compass  heading to  the target.  With luck,  they

would meet again over the aperture of the electromagnetic gun.

"Pardon me, but  has anyone seen  my wits?  " Skids said  in a  squeaky

voice. "I had them right here just a moment ago-" Tuketu laughed.

"That was fun, wasn't it? "

"Fun? " Skids shook his head. "Fun like having a rancor sit on your lap

is fun.  Sir,  I  am  afraid  I must  relieve  you  of  command,  effective

immediately, on the grounds that  you are clearly insane. Please  surrender

the controls and come along quietly. "

Smiling, Tuketu reached overhead and  adjusted the trim thrusters.  "We

were a little late getting  to the first ground check.  I'm taking us up  a

couple of points. Check back there and make sure the others stay with us. "

"Copy, Tuke, " Skids said, twisting his head first to the left, then to

the right. "By the jewel of Haarkan, you put that much ordnance on a K, and

you  get  one  mean-looking,  chip-on-a-shoulder,  fixing-for-trouble  star

kitty. "

"Let's hope we don't need all of  it, " Tuketu said soberly, almost  to

himself.

According to reports  Fleet Intelligence  had provided  to the  Fifth's

planners, Bessimir's hypervelocity  gun fired at  a rate of  120 slugs  per

minute, though  rarely  for more  than  ten seconds  at  a time.  To  avoid

deflecting the superaccelerated projectiles, the particle shield protecting

the gun was synchronized with the firing controller. The shield would  open

for each outbound  slug when  the gun was  fired, while  the ray  shielding

would remain  in  place throughout,  protecting  the emplacement  from  any

long-range counterfire.

Open, close, open,  close, like the  winking eye of  a shutter, like  a

tempting carnival game. Time the opening correctly and win the prize.

That was why two of the three K-wings in each flight were configured as

penetrators, carrying no  energy weapons at  all-just ordinary slug  cannon

and an extraordinary number of flechette missiles.

If even one round, one explosive splinter, could slip through and  find

its target-.

But to  have even  that slim  chance, they  had to  get very  close-and

something had to coax the gunners into firing.

That something was the New  Republic Star DestroyerResolve .  Specially

outfitted with multiple shields  into which were poured  the full power  of

her engines, she  came out of  hyperspace nearly dead  center in the  gun's

field of fire.  The K-wings were  approaching the perimeter  of the  shield

zone, hiding in the clutter, hugging  every contour of the surface as  they

closed in.

A'baht watched nervously, his shoulder spines rippling.

A few moments longer, and the approaching bombers would be spotted, the

threat analyzed. "Fire, " he whispered. "Come on-take the bait. "

Esege Tuketu, watching his penetrators race toward the red line on  his

battle display, tensed himself  for the high-G  abort maneuver he  expected

them to have to execute.

A heartbeat stretched out to a lifetime.

On impulse, Tuketu thumbed his comm switch and broke comm silence.

"Red Leader to Red Two, Red Three, stay on the tower, stay on it! "

"What are you doing? " Skids demanded.

Tuketu shook his head. "We have to get the game in before it rains. "

Red Three suddenly broke right, away from its target, trying to  escape

the invisible wall that lay ahead. But Red Two flew past the wave-off point

and opened fire. Streams  of silver missiles flashed  from under its  wings

toward the stubby shield tower in their sights.

"Sorry, Tuke, too late, going around, " Red Three called.

At the same moment, the big  gun roared, belching a staccato stream  of

slugs toward theResolve .

Red Two broke  left and up,  its cannon tracking  the shield tower  and

firing nonstop.

"Come on, come on,  come on, "  Tuketu said under  his breath. "Make  a

hole for us. "

The leading edge of Red Two's salvo reached the shield boundary as  the

gun was  still  firing.  Most shattered  without  exploding,  crushed  like

insects  hurled  against   a  cockpit  canopy.   A  few  exploded   against

nothingness, their triggers overwhelmed by  a surging induction current  as

the particle shield cycled on and off.

But two flechette missiles slipped through. The hemispheric dome of the

shield tower disappeared in a small  but brilliant explosion that left  the

metal remnants burning.

"How did you know? " Skids said wonderingly.

Tuketu shook his  head. "I  didn't, "  he said,  pushing the  throttles

forward. Ahead lay the aperture of the big gun.

Like a frantic  animal fighting  for its  life, the  hypergun fired  on

theResolve without pause from the moment the particle shield vanished.

The big  cruiser wasn't  nimble  enough to  evade the  barrage  pattern

thrown at it from the alpha moon,  and Commander Syub Snunb wondered if  it

was tough  enough to  withstand  the hits  it  was taking.  Shells  crashed

against its  invisible  shields  with  such  force  that  the  ship  itself

shuddered and shook.

"Red Flight is inside the perimeter, " a lieutenant sang out.

Steadying himself against  a bulkhead, Snunb  acknowled ged the  report

with a nod. "Then we've done our job. Keep tracking the incoming fire, " he

said.

"Navigator, turn and show them our heels. Keep us on an escape heading.

If they give us any  kind of break at all,  drop the auxiliary shields  and

jump us out of here. "

"Yes, Commander. "

Just then the  outermost shield buckled  under a salvo  of shells,  the

impacts sucking the field strength  from the protective bubble faster  than

the shield generators could restore it.  An alarm sounded on the bridge  as

the shaking abruptly got worse.

"The D shield is down. The generators are slagged! "

Snunb shook his head. "I must remember to tell General A'baht that I do

not much like  being the bait  tied outside the  predator's lair. How  much

longer? "

His first officer pointed to the tactical display.

"Tuketu should be over the target in another few seconds. "

Another alarm sounded  on the bridge  of theResolve .  "I hope we  have

another few seconds to give him. "

The aperture of the hypergun was glowing brilliantly in the infrared on

Tuketu's targeting computer.

"Let's finish this on the first pass. "

"Arming Number  One,  " Skids  sang  out. "Arming  Number  Two.  Taking

attitude control, now. "

Tuketu lifted his hands from the stick and throttle.

"All yours. "

The nose of the K-wing lifted skyward, and the bomber began to climb.

"Range-mark. Number One away. Number  Two away. Let's not hang  around,

Tuke. "

As the lob bombs began to trace a clean, elegant ballistic arc, up  and

over the top of a gravitational hill, Tuketu hauled the nose of the  bomber

back and around  to the  left so sharply  that he  felt momentarily  dizzy.

While the broad bottom of the ship was facing the target, there was a  dull

roaring sound, a brilliant flash that cast long shadows on the surface, and

a neck-snapping vertical translation, as though some mighty hand had shoved

the K-wing from below.

"Too soon, too soon! " Skids cried in alarm. "Not ours. "

At that moment  Black One  flashed by  overhead, and  the comm  speaker

crackled to life with gleeful exultations.

"Scratch one big gun, " drawled Black Leader. "My stars, that was a big

splash. She was still firing when we bracketed her-we must have jammed up a

couple of shells in the barrel. Did you see it, Red Leader? "

"Negative, Black Leader.  " The landscape  lit up again  with a  double

flash that was a pale echo of the first. "Sounds like you didn't leave much

for us, Hodo, " Tuketu said with a grin.

"That'll teach you not to dawdle-sir. "

"This is Green Leader,  " said a new  voice. "I've made a  verification

pass and I confirm target destroyed, "

"This is theResolve .  We concur with  Green Leader, target  destroyed.

Thank you, boys. "

"Copy, Green Leader. Copy,  Resolve , " said  Tuketu, turning his  ship

skyward, toward where  the cruisers waited  for them. "All  ships, form  up

with me. We have a rendezvous to keep. "

Standing at  a podium  and wearing  the uniform  of the  Joint  Defense

Operations Staff rather than the Mon Calamari battle dress in which he  had

earned his  fame, Admiral  Ackbar gestured  with a  large hand  toward  the

display screen on his right.

"With the Fleet firmly in control of local space, it is now  relatively

safe for the gunships to begin opening a corridor to the surface, "  Ackbar

said, looking out at  the small, select audience.  "The tactics echo  those

used against the hypergun-to expose  well-armored vessels to enemy fire  in

order to  locate  and destroy  the  defensive emplacements  in  the  target

sector. In this case, as  you can see, the  counterfire is coming from  the

heavy batteries of the vessels in orbit. "

The monitors in the conference hall at the New Republic Defense Force's

headquarters on Coruscant showed much the same images as those onIntrepid's

bridge, though lagging some seconds behind.

The signals were  being relayed  across fifteen  parsecs by  hyperspace

transponder, then  reviewed by  military  censors to  make sure  that  what

appeared on the displays was appropriate to the clearances of the audi ence

in the hall.  That afternoon,  little censorship was  needed. The  audience

included all eight members of the  Senate's Council on the Common  Defense,

half a  dozen  senior  Fleet  officers,  and  Princess  Leia  Organa  Solo,

president of  the  Senate  and commander-in-chief  of  the  New  Republic's

defense forces.

Ackbar  went  on,  "The  curvature  of  a  planetary  body  limits  the

effectiveness of fixed emplacements with line-of-sight weapons. Destruction

of only a few such emplacements creates a breach in the planetary defenses,

and a corridor from space  to the surface. You see  here that the Fleet  is

close to opening such a  corridor. The threat at  this point would be  from

atmospheric fighters  or  ground-to-air  missiles launched  from  over  the

horizon. But  Bessimir has  no  such defenses.  When  the breach  is  fully

opened, the invasion will begin. "

"Admiral Ackbar-a  question,  "  Senator Tolik  Yar  called  out.  "How

realistic a  test is  this for  the Fleet?  Is this  anything more  than  a

scripted performance? "

"It is as realistic as possible, " said Ackbar. "This is an operational

readiness exercise, not a simulation. It is true that the Fleet is  opposed

only by battle  drones and computer  sims. But  I can assure  you that  the

defense team takes pride and  pleasure in constructing a difficult  problem

for the Fleet tacticians. "

"Admiral Ackbar, " said Senator Cion  Marook, rising from his seat  and

allowing the great, heavily veined air  sacs on his back to fully  inflate.

"This has been a most impressive demonstration so far. But on behalf of  my

colleagues, and those we  represent, I must wonder  why command of the  new

task force was given to such a newcomer. "

"Senator, General Etahn A'baht is hardly a hatchling-he is easily twice

my age, and I suspect he is senior to you as well. "

Marook bristled. "I did not say he was young, Senator, I said he was  a

newcomer. The  commanders of  the  other fleets  are  all veterans  of  the

Rebellion-leaders who, like yourself, earned honor in the great battles  at

Yavin, Hoth, and Endor. "

Ackbar acknowledged the compliment with a nod.

"But this  Dornean has  worn our  uniform for  less than  two  standard

years. The Fifth  Fleet was authorized  in no small  part on your  personal

testimony and assurances, and built at great expense to the New Republic. I

would be much  happier if  it were  you on  the bridge  of theIntrepid  and

General A'baht were here waving a pointer in front of us. "

"But you ought not be, Senator,  " Ackbar said sharply. "Though it  was

not part of the Rebel  Alliance, Dornea has its  own heroes from the  fight

against the Empire.  General A'baht has  a long and  exemplary record as  a

fleet commander with the Dornean Navy. We are fortunate to be able to  call

upon his services. "

"The entire  Dornean  Navy numbers  barely  eighty vessels,  "  Senator

Marook said with a grand gesture of contempt.

Standing by the back wall of the Conference room, Princess Leia  rolled

her eyes and shook her head. It was wholly predictable that the complainant

was Marook. Hrasskis society was built around a strict notion of succession

by seniority, and the  highest social value was  waiting one's turn.  After

five years in the Senate,  he still had not  embraced the notion of  basing

appointments on merit.

"And yet, the Dornean Navy successfully defended Dornea's  independence

throughout the reign of Palpatine, against Imperial forces several times as

large, "  said  Princess Leia,  intervening  in  the hope  of  cutting  the

argument short. "Come now, Senator  Marook-surely this is an  inappropriate

time to argue over command assignments. Let's move on. "

Admiral  Ackbar  held  up  his  broad  hand.  "Princess  Leia,  if  you

please-there is no better time to put this to rest. I have heard rumors  of

discontent in the Council for weeks, but this is the first time anyone  has

voiced such sentiments in my hearing. I would like the chance to explain to

Senator Marook exactly why he is so terribly wrong. "

Even offered in  his measured tones,  such a direct  rebuke was out  of

character for Admiral Ackbar, and told  Leia how angry her Calamari  friend

was. "Very well, Admiral, " she said,  nodding and settling into a seat  to

listen.

Given the floor, Ackbar proceeded to ignore Senator Marook  completely,

addressing himself to the rest of the gathering. "You must understand  that

the problems of  invading a  planetary body  from space,  or defending  one

against an invasion, are quite different from the problems of destroying  a

planet, or blockading one, or laying siege to one. "

Ackbar moved out from behind the podium.  "And it is a set of  problems

with which  we  have  had  very little  experience.  The  veterans  of  the

Alliance, whom Senator Marook  so kindly praised, know  all the secrets  of

fighting as  an  insurgent force-the  roles  of stealth,  of  mobility,  of

hit-and-run  tactics,  of  disrupting  the  enemy's  lines  of  supply  and

communication.

"But a commando force cannot defend a home-world, a system, a sector. A

commando force cannot tie up its assets waiting to be attacked. A  commando

force cannot carry out an invasion.  You should remind yourself that at  no

time in  its  history did  the  Alliance enjoy  the  resources to  fight  a

conventional war. And the one time we were forced by circumstance to do so,

at Hoth, we suffered a terrible defeat.

"That is why Etahn A'baht was  selected to command the Fifth Fleet.  He

brings to  that  bridge  all  the hard-won  expertise  of  the  Dornea,  an

expertise which I cannot match.  And it is his  tactical plan which we  are

testing at Bessimir, " Ackbar said, pointing at the screens behind him.

"Unlike  my  colleague  from  the  Hrasskis,  I  do  not  question  the

qualifications of General A'baht. I am  more concerned about the sharp  end

of the knife  than I am  with who wields  it, " said  Senator Tig  Peramis,

rising from  his seat  near the  door. "Admiral  Ackbar, I  have  questions

concerning the conditions of the test. "

Leia's attention immediately perked up. Senator Peramis was the  newest

member of the Council on the Common Defense, representing the worlds of the

Seventh Security Zone,  including his own,  Walalla. So far  he had been  a

quiet member, diligently studying the Council records that his new level of

clearance opened  to  his  eyes,  asking  many  thoughtful  questions,  and

expressing few opinions.

"Proceed, " said Admiral Ackbar, making a sweeping gesture.

"You chose  to send  the Fifth  Fleet against  a target  which lacks  a

planetary shield. Why is that? "

"Senator, it  is not  possible to  assault a  planet which  enjoys  the

protection of a planetary  shield until that shield  has been disabled.  We

would learn nothing about our new tactics from such an exercise. And  there

are far more worlds like Bessimir than there are worlds with the wealth and

technology to sustain a planetwide shield. "

"But, Admiral, did you not warn  the Council that it was exactly  those

well-armed worlds which the New  Republic lacked the capacity to  confront?

And did you not promise the Council that if we built the Fifth Fleet,  even

the strongest of the old Imperial worlds  would not be able to threaten  us

with impunity? "

Ackbar nodded gravely.  "I believe  that we are  keeping that  promise,

Senator Peramis. The defense  of Bessimir was designed  in accord with  our

existing threat profiles. Operation Hammerblow represents a likely scenario

for the use of the Fifth Fleet. "

"What, to overwhelm an underdefended world? "

"Senator, I did not say . . . "

"This is  exactly the  point that  concerns me.  An army  fights as  it

trains, " said Senator Peramis. "Did  you build the Fifth Fleet to  protect

us against a strategic threat, or to strengthen Coruscant? Does the  danger

you saw lie outside our borders, or within them? "

He turned and pointed an accusing finger in Leia's direction.

"Exactly who are you preparing to invade? "

Ackbar blinked, rendered  wordless by surprise.  The other officers  in

the room scowled and bristled. The other members of the Council were  taken

aback-by Peramis's intimations themselves, or, like Senator Marook, by  his

temerity in speaking out of turn.

"I can only think that if you had been here when the votes were  taken,

Senator Peramis, you  would not ask  such questions, "  Leia said  sharply,

moving to the front  of the room  with a purposeful stride  and a swirl  of

robes. "You unfairly malign Admiral Ackbar's honor. "

"I do not  malign him in  the slightest.  I am sure  Admiral Ackbar  is

faithful in his duties and loyal to his superiors, " Peramis said,  looking

purposefully at Leia.

"How dare you! " bellowed Senator Tolik  Yar as he leaped to his  feet.

"If you do not withdraw your words, I will knock you down myself. "

Leia sent a  small, tight smile  in the direction  of her champion  but

waved off his assistance.  "Senator Peramis, the Fifth  Fleet was built  to

protect the New Republic, and for  no other reason. We have no  territorial

aspirations,  no  hunger  for  conquest.   How  could  we,  with  ten   new

applications for membership arriving every day?  On the honor of the  House

of Organa, I give my  word-the Fifth Fleet will never  be used to invade  a

member world, or to coerce its will, or subdue its legitimate ambitions. "

Even before he spoke, it was clear that Peramis was unimpressed.  "What

weight shall I give a vow made  on the honor of an extinct family-a  family

you have no blood claim with? "

Tolik Yar's  face flushed,  and his  hand moved  toward the  ceremonial

dagger he wore on his breastplate.

But the hand of the officer standing beside him stayed the impulse.

"Wait, " General Antilles said softly. "Give him a little more rope. "

Senator Peramis swept  his gaze across  the room and  found that  every

face was turned toward him.  "I am sorry to  spoil the festive moment,  and

waste the expensive  pyrotechnics thoughtfully arranged  for us by  Admiral

Ackbar and  General  A'baht.  I  am sorry  to  raise  Senator  Yar's  blood

pressure, and to offend Senator Marook's well-honed sense of propriety. But

I cannot be silent.

"What I've learned  in the months  since I took  my Council oath,  what

I've heard and seen today, alarms me profoundly. If I could, I would  speak

of this in the well of the Senate, before the eyes of the entire  Republic.

You have not bought  security-you have built  the machinery of  oppression,

and are about to hand it over  to the progeny of the most brutal  oppressor

in history's memory.

"I am deeply, unalterably  opposed to arming  the New Republic  against

its own members-"

"You are mistaken-" Admiral Ackbar began.

"That is what you've done! "  Senator Peramis said angrily. "The  Fifth

Fleet is a weapon of conquest  and tyranny, nothing less and nothing  more.

And once a wea'pon  is forged, it tantalizes,  and tempts, and  transfixes,

until someone finds a reason to use it. You've given the son of Darth Vader

a glittering  temptation to  follow  his father's  path. You've  given  the

daughter of Darth Vader  a gift-wrapped invitation to  secure her power  by

force of arms.

"And yet you sit  here smiling and nodding  and swallowing the  fiction

that all of  it is for  your protection.  I am ashamed  for you-ashamed.  "

Senator Peramis  shook  his head  vigorously,  as  though to  clear  it  of

unwelcome thoughts, then stalked out of the conference room.

Leia  quickly  turned  her  head   away,  struggling  to  control   her

expression, and to conceal the struggle.

The  stunned  silence  was  broken  by  embarrassed  coughing  and  the

squirming, shuffling  sounds  of  officers  and  Council  members  shifting

uncomfortably in their seats.

"Chairman! Chairman  Behn-kihl-nahm!  " Senator  Tolik  Yar  exclaimed,

finding his voice  at last.  "I want him  reprimanded! I  want him  brought

before the Review! This is intolerable. The Seventh must send someone  else

to represent it. Intolerable, do you hear? "

"We all hear, Senator  Yar, " Behn-kihl-nahm said  in his most  silken,

soothing voice as  he moved  toward Leia.  "President Organa,  allow me  to

apologize for Senator Peramis's regrettable lapse-"

Tolik Yar snorted.  "Why not  apologize for  the Emperor's  regrettable

lapses as well? It would mean about as much. "

Behn-kihl-nahm ignored the comment.  "You may remember, Princess  Leia,

that the hand of the Empire fell heavily on Walalla. Tig Peramis  remembers

all too well. He was only a boy, watching his world conquered, his people's

spirit destroyed. The memories fill him  with a passion which inspires  his

diligence but betrays his good sense. I  will speak with him. I am sure  he

already regrets his intemperate words. "

Behn-kihl-nahm's exit was  the cue for  the room to  empty. The  others

nearly fell over each  other in their eagerness  to excuse themselves,  the

ritual etiquette of  salutes, congratulations,  and good  wishes so  rushed

that it took on the  flavor of farce. Almost before  she knew it, Leia  was

alone with Admiral Ackbar.

As she lifted a weary face to Ackbar's sympathetic gaze, she  attempted

a wry smile. "I thought that went well-didn't you? "

Just then, an image of General  A'baht appeared on the primary  display

screen. "Etahn  A'baht, reporting  to  Fleet Ops,  Coruscant with  copy  to

president of the Senate, "  the image said. "Live-fire exercise  Hammerblow

satisfactorily concluded. Detailed report on casualties, deficiencies,  and

the performance of individual commands to follow. Recommend that the  Fifth

Defense Task Force be considered operational this date. "

Then the display went dark.

Ackbar nodded, and  clasped Leia's shoulder  with one large  hand in  a

friendly and comforting gesture.

"Well enough, Madame President, " he said. "Better to face bitter words

than to face more  fighting and dying.  I think we have  all had enough  of

that for a lifetime. "

She stared  out the  doorway through  which Pera-mis  had exited.  "How

could he be so foolish? " she asked plaintively. "After Palpatine, Hethrir,

Durga, Daala, Thrawn-one after another, with hardly enough time in  between

to heal the wounds and  patch the hulls-how could he  think we love war  so

much? "

"I have found that most foolishness begins with fear, " said Ackbar.

"I'm not accustomed to being feared. " Leia shook her head. "Especially

for no reason. It makes me angry. "

Ackbar grunted sympathetically. "I intend to go to my quarters and bite

the head off a frozen  ormachek. I suggest you  go home and find  something

ugly to smash. "

Leia laughed tiredly and patted Ackbar's hand. "I just may do that. You

know, I think we still have that Calamari blessing pot you gave Han and  me

at our wedding-"

Chapter 2

A hot, humid, breeze blew across the crown of Temple Atun, the steepest

of the ruined temples of the Massassi on Yavin 4. Luke Skywalker turned his

face into the wind  and looked out over  the vibrant jungle that  stretched

unbroken to the horizon.

The enormous orange  disk of  the gas  giant Yavin  dominated the  sky,

hanging just above the edge of the  world as its fourth moon turned  toward

night.

Even after five years, Luke found it a compelling, nearly  overwhelming

sight. He had grown up on Tatooine, where the only stars in the night  were

pale speckles of white  on a black canvas,  and where the terrible  daytime

heat came from two disks he could easily block from view simply by  raising

his hand. This, I will miss, he thought.

For months Luke had been using Temple Atun as his sanctuary. Unlike the

Great Temple,  which had  been  given new  life as  the  home of  the  Jedi

praexeum, Atun had been  left as it had  been found, its mechanisms  inert,

its passageways dark. Its outer chambers  had been looted, but a trap  made

of two great sliding stones had long ago sealed off the upper chambers. The

trap still held the crushed bodies of the would-be thieves who had  tripped

it.

Something tickled Luke's consciousness at the hazy fringe of awareness.

He closed his eyes and lowered his inner shields long enough to search  the

temple, reading the currents of the Force as they flowed around and beneath

him.

There was life everywhere,  for the creatures of  Yavin 4 had long  ago

claimed what the Massassi had  abandoned. Collapsed stairways limited  most

vermin  to  the  lower  levels.  But  stonebats  had  made  nests  in  tiny

ventilation shafts all over  the temple's face, and  Luke shared the  eyrie

with purple-winged kitehawks,  which soared  into the sky  each evening  to

search the jungle's upper canopy for prey.

There was an unfamiliar presence, too-but not an unexpected one.

Streen was coming, as Luke had asked.

Luke had given Streen no instructions except to meet him at the top  of

Temple Atun, thereby turning  the keeping of the  appointment into a  final

test, and the temple into a puzzle and potential horror-house.

Concealing himself by exerting  no will at all  on the currents of  the

Force, Luke marked his protege's progress.

Even  as  an  apprentice,  Streen  had  distinguished  himself  by  his

maturity. That quality was evident in  his purposeful ascent of the  tower.

He moved  lightly  through the  rookeries,  surefootedly through  the  dark

passages.

The last fifty  meters of  the trip to  the crown  required a  dizzying

fingertips-and-toes climb up  the steep,  crumbling sunset  face of  Temple

Atun. As Streen neared the top, Luke nudged the kitehawks into the air with

a thought. They passed over Streen's head like beclawed shadows, crying and

beating the air with their wings. But Streen did not startle. Holding  very

still, he  made himself  invisible against  the crumbling  stone until  the

kitehawks wheeled away, then finished his climb.

"I'm pleased,  " Luke  said, opening  his eyes  as Streen  joined  him.

"You've confirmed me in my choice. Come, sit, and face the east with me. "

Streen complied wordlessly. The  curve of Yavin  was just touching  the

line of the horizon, forming the geometry of the symbol found everywhere on

the Massassi ruins.

"Have you made any progress in your reading of the Books of Massassi? "

asked Luke quietly.

He was referring to a collection of tablets unearthed from a  collapsed

underground chamber  found two  years  earlier in  the jungle  nearby.  The

tablets were written in the dense, arcane symbology of the Sith, but not by

a Sith consciousness. The Books were  silent on their authorship, but  Luke

believed they were the creation of a single Massassi, a life work of essays

in history and  faith. A  minority view held  that they  were the  original

sacred texts  of  the  Massassi,  an ancient  oral  tradition  recorded  by

educated slaves.

"I thought I  would have  finished by now,  but I've  only reached  the

sixteenth Book,  "  Streen  said.  "Reading them  is  more  tiring  than  I

expected. It seems to be a thing that cannot be hurried. "

"And what have  you learned  about what the  sight before  us meant  to

those who built this place? "

"That Yavin was both a beautiful and a terrible god to the Massassi,  "

said Streen. "It lifted  their eyes to the  heavens, but made their  hearts

small and fearful. "

"Go on. "

Streen gestured toward the horizon. "If  I have understood what I  have

read, the Massassi measured themselves against this all-dominating presence

and found  themselves wanting.  They stood  at the  pinnacle of  life on  a

fecund world, and yet felt themselves and their attainments to be  nothing.

And that paradox colored their entire history. "

"Yes, " said Luke.  "They failed to learn  the lesson of humility.  The

grander their works, the more they ached for the power that still seemed so

far out of reach. They gathered these stones for the Sith in a vain  effort

to touch the face of their god. And they pursued the dark power of the Sith

in a vain effort to become like gods themselves. "

"It was a kind of madness. "

"A glimpse of the truth can bring on madness, " Luke said softly.

"What truth is that? "

"Look around us, "  Luke said, spreading his  hands. "The Massassi  are

gone, their works crumbling, battered by war, violated by trespassers.  But

Yavin still rules over their world. "

"Yes. Yes, I see. "

"Streen, I am leaving  in the morning,  " Luke said  quietly. "I am  no

longer needed here. It is time for  someone else to take over the  Academy.

I've chosen you. "

Those words succeeded in  startling Streen in a  way the kitehawks  had

failed to. "Leaving? I don't understand, " he said, turning toward Luke.

"Once the Force was to  me like a whispered voice  on the wind, "  Luke

said, standing and looking back toward the Great Temple. "Obi-Wan taught me

to hear it,  and Yoda  to understand  it. I trained  myself to  hear it  no

matter where I was. And in my turn I taught others to hear and  understand.

But I have not been hearing that  voice well of late, though my hearing  is

more acute than ever.  There is too  much noise. There is  too much I  must

screen out. There are too many questions, too many demands. Everyone  seems

to be shouting at me. It's painful, and tiring. "

He turned back to Streen. "I can no longer do this work. And the work I

have to do cannot be done here. "

"Then it's time for you  to leave, " Streen  said, rising to his  feet.

"Past time, I  think, now that  I understand why  you've been pulling  away

from us. And I will not ask where you are going. "

"Thank you, " Luke said. "Do you accept the burden I have offered  you?

"

"Yes, " said Streen, offering his open  hand. "I accept it. I free  you

in good conscience from your  duties. I will carry  this weight now. "  The

two men clasped hands firmly and meaningfully. Then Streen smiled.  "Though

I don't feel ready. "

"Good, " said Luke,  answering Streen's smile  and releasing his  hand.

"That feeling will help ensure your diligence. "

"Will you tell the apprentices, or shall I? "

"I'll tell them. They'll expect it. And I want them to know you have my

confidence. Come, let it be done. "

Taking two long, swift steps, Luke  launched himself from the crown  of

Temple Atun  into  the warm,  empty  air, just  as  the kitehawks  did.  He

tumbled, then extended his limbs as though his robes were wings.

Falling, he meditated on  fear for long seconds,  then made himself  in

his mind a creature of the air. Making  his body as light as his heart,  he

touched down so softly near the base of the temple that the grasses  barely

protested. Streen took longer to arrive, descending the sun-bronzed face of

the temple as though rappelling with an invisible rope.

"I hope that  wasn't my  last test, "  Streen said  breathlessly as  he

joined Luke.

"No, " Luke said. "Just something I wanted to do one more time before I

left. "

Later, in the small hours of  night, a solitary E-wing fighter made  an

arrow of light across  the sky, climbing  from the island  of ruins in  the

dark sea  of  jungle  toward the  stars.  Only  one pair  of  eyes  saw  it

go-Streen's. He was seated atop the Great Temple, meditating, and the light

and sound caused him to look up.

"Good-bye, my teacher, "  he said softly as  the ion trail faded.  "May

the Force be with you on your journey. "

In some  ways Jacen  Solo was  like any  seven-year-old boy.  He  liked

building houses from a deck of  sabacc cards, driving toy speeders  through

mud puddles, and playing  with model spacecraft. The  only problem, as  Han

saw it, was  that Jacen  wanted to  do all of  those things  with his  mind

rather than his hands.

So far, the ability  to levitate even small  objects had eluded  Jacen.

The E-wing  and TIE  fighter that  dueled in  the air  above his  bed  were

suspended by threads, not by thoughts. But knowing that it was possible was

motivation enough for  Han's elder son.  Like a parent  enduring the  first

year of a child's clarinet lessons, Han  had learned how to keep the  sound

of small  disasters,  failed experiments,  and  the occasional  display  of

impatience in the  next room  from making  his blood  pressure spike.  And,

unlike Leia, he had no trouble with the noise and chaos that are a child at

play.

But Han had a harder time with the realization that Jacen was becoming,

well,  a   bit  pudgy.   Han   remembered  childhood   as  long   days   of

rough-and-tumble play, as a time when he had a lean, strong body that never

tired for long. Not so for Jacen.

Though the children had the run of the grounds, Han never saw his elder

son come in from the courtyard  having run himself to a sweaty  exhaustion,

or emerge from the gardens as dirty and happy as a worm.

And Han worried over it.

Still harder to accept was seeing  Jacen always playing alone, with  no

friends outside the family and less  interest all the time in playing  with

Jaina or Anakin. Han blamed  the lack of friends  on himself and Leia.  The

children had  been  whisked from  one  place  to another,  sent  away  with

bodyguards and hidden  away with  nannies, all  in the  name of  protecting

them. In  the  process, they  had  been "protected"  from  having  anything

remotely like a  normal childhood. And  for all that,  they had still  been

kidnapped by Hethrir, and nearly lost.

There was nothing to be done about it now except to try not to compound

the mistake. On the first night  the family was reunited, with Leia  crying

tears of relief as they  held each other, Han  had silently vowed never  to

leave the children without the care and protection of a parent again.

There was no disentangling  Leia from the  business of the  government,

but Han saw his own position differently.

On their return to  Coruscant, he had tried  to resign his  commission.

Admiral Ackbar had pointed out that  he would lose his security  clearances

and Class  1 pass  and Leia  would lose  his counsel  and companionship  on

sensitive matters.

"Finding you indispensable to the defense  of the New Republic, I  must

refuse your resignation, " Ackbar said.

"Now, just a blasted moment-"

"However, I also find  that your current assignment  does not make  the

best use of  your experience and  abilities, " Ackbar  went on.  "Effective

immediately, I order you placed on detached duty, assigned to the president

of the Senate as  liaison for domestic  defense. You are  to assist her  in

whatever way she sees fit. Do you understand? " If the big-eyed  Calamarian

had been capable of a wink, he would have sent a sly one in Han's direction

at that moment.

So Hans days  were now  spent at  the president's  residence, which  he

shared with Leia, trying to make up  for lost time. But he was  discovering

that children made the Millennium  Falcon's hyperdrive look dependable  and

predictable by  comparison. Little  Anakin was  Han's loyal  ally, but  the

twins tested him early and often.

They had their own  ideas about the proper  order of things, and  their

place in it.

"But, Dad, Winter let us-"

"But, Dad, Chewie always-"

"But, Dad Threepio never" Sentences beginning with those  constructions

were banned from the  household by the  end of the  first month. "It's  not

fair! " followed soon thereafter. With Leia backing up his edicts down  the

line (discreetly negotiating her dissents  with him in private), all  three

children eventually acknowledged Dad as boss of the house.

But he worried about the day he thought must inevitably come-the day  a

disagreement would turn into a fight he would lose. Raising Jedi  children,

he decided, was like raising Ralltiir  tigers-cute as they were when  young

and much as they might  love you, they still  grew long, deadly claws.  Han

would never forget  the afternoon  Anakin had  an hourlong,  Force-assisted

tantrum. Every object  in the  playroom was  shoved or  thrown against  the

wall, leaving the youngster  alone in the middle  of a bare floor,  kicking

his heels and pounding his fists.

One mercy was that all the three children were basically good-hearted.

Another was  that playing  with the  Force seemed  to make  them  sleep

longer and  more deeply.  Unfortunately, Anakin  and Jacen  both had  their

mother's stubbornness-neither  could be  readily compelled  to do  anything

they didn't want to. And Jaina and Jacen both had a streak of irrepressible

mischief, which Leia blamed on Han-both could be regularly counted on to do

something you didn't want them to.

They had established a new family ritual that seemed to please everyone

When Leia came  home, they  would all  climb into  the vortex  pool in  the

garden and spend half an hour or more being carried around by its currents.

The kids could  play-Anakin had suddenly  begun to love  the water so  much

that Ackbar proudly called  him "my little fish"-or  just cling to Mom  and

Dad, while for Leia and Han it was therapy, a sigh of relief at the end  of

a long day.

Then, while the children  were off with the  valet droid, dressing  for

dinner, Han and Leia retreated to their own bedroom for what they  jokingly

called "the daily briefing. "  It was as much a  part of the ritual as  the

pool-a chance  for  them  to  rail, complain,  or  simply  entertain  while

swapping stories about their day.

That evening Leia threw herself on the  bed and hugged a pillow to  her

chest. "What news from the front, General? " she asked.

Han let himself drop  into a Kesslerite lounging  chair that faced  the

foot of  the bed.  It quickly  softened and  conformed to  his body  shape,

leaving him feeling  as though  he were still  floating in  the vortex.  "I

don't know what  to do about  Jacen, " he  said. "This morning  I tried  to

interest him in some friendly bolo-ball with Dad. He turned me down. "

"Well-he's not very good at it, and kids want their parents to be proud

of them, " said Leia, rolling over and staring at the ceiling. "Maybe  he's

embarrassed to play with you, since you're so much better than him. "

"He's not very good at it because he never practices! There's no reason

he couldn't be good at it. But he said it was a stupid game. "

Leia was diplomatically silent.

"So I said,  'Okay, you pick,  '" Han  continued. "'Do you  want to  go

skate in the velocidrome, play wallball in the courtyard, what? " He  says,

'No, thank you, Dad. " I told him he had to start doing something physical,

strengthen his body. Or I'd have to assign him a few laps around the  inner

fence with the sentry droid every day. "

"What did he say to that? "

"He said, 'Why  do I  have to  be strong? Someday  I'll be  able to  go

anywhere I want, or  get anything I want,  just by thinking about  it--like

Uncle Luke. ' " Han shook his  head. "He doesn't seem to have noticed  that

Uncle Luke doesn't look a bit like Jabba the Hutt. "

"Neither does Jacen! " Leia said defensively.

"Give him time. "

"You're exaggerating. "

"I hope, " Han said, though his tone was skeptical. "But I'd be glad to

see Luke remind Jacen  about the physical side  of Jedi training-you  know,

all that stuff he used to bore us with about the body being the  instrument

of the mind, not just its vessel? "

Leia rolled  over again  and  propped herself  up  on her  elbows,  her

expression suddenly earnest. "Han, have you heard anything from Luke? "

"What? No, not for a while. "  He frowned while he thought. "Not for  a

long time. Why? "

"I heard from Tionne on Yavin Four today. Luke's disappeared. "

"Disappeared? "

"Gone off somewhere. He turned over the Academy to Streen. "

"He's done that before. "

"From what  Tionne said,  this time  was different-it  sounded like  he

wasn't ever coming back. "

"Hmm, "  said Han.  "Highly mysterious,  I agree.  I can't  think of  a

single reason why he might not want to put himself on a deserted island  in

the middle of the big Nowhere with a gaggle of Force adepts. "

Leia threw a pillow at him, which he neatly parried.

"I just wish  I knew  where he  was, " she  said. "With  neither of  us

having heard from him in months, and no word before he left "

"You're worried about him? "

"A little. And if he's not going to be at the Academy, we could  surely

use his help here. I tried sending a message to the hyperspace comm in  his

fighter, but it's not receiving. If it still exists. "

"When did he leave? "

"Days ago. Can we do anything from here to find him? "

Han snorted. "A Jedi Master who knows everything there is to know about

New Republic geography  and technology? Not  unless he wants  to be  found.

You've got  a better  chance  of finding  him  yourself, with  your  latent

whatsis and that twin thing you two seem to have. "

Leia looked vaguely uncomfortable. "I  wondered if I could quietly  ask

Admiral Ackbar to list Luke's E-wing as missing. "

"You could do that, " Han said,  "but you couldn't do it quietly.  It'd

take about two hours for the whole fleet to be buzzing with 'Luke Skywalker

has vanished! ' Face it, Leia, anything involving Luke is news. Which might

be exactly why he slipped out the back door. What does Streen say? "

"Streen says there's nothing he can  tell us. But I got the  impression

he was protecting Luke. "

"Protecting Luke's privacy, maybe? "

"Maybe, "  Leia said.  "I suppose  you're  going to  tell me  I  should

respect his privacy, and stop worrying about it? "

"It's an idea, " Han  said. "He's a Jedi  Master-and he's out there  in

the best fighter we have, thanks to Admiral Ackbar. If anyone can take care

of himself, my buddy Luke can. "

Leia flopped on her back on the bed. "Funny, when I think that thought,

it comes out, 'If anyone can manage to find trouble, Luke can. "

"That, " said Han, "is the difference between a friend and a sister. "

"I suppose, "  Leia said,  sighing. "Speaking  of sisters-did  anything

else happen today? "

"Well, let's see,  " Han  said, crossing his  arms over  his chest  and

gazing at the ceiling.  "After lunch, Jaina got  tired of being ignored  by

Jacen again and started sabotaging his  practice. They ended up in a  fight

that went on so long it made them both sick to their stomachs ... "

As soon as Luke shut down the  engines, he could hear the wind  howling

outside. It rocked  the E-wing  on its skids  and pelted  its surface  with

freezing salt spray ripped from the  crests of the waves breaking near  the

beach.

"Keep the  stabilizers  on, "  Luke  told  R7-T1 as  he  unbuckled  his

harness.

The astromech droid chirped in  response, and the words RECOMMEND  WING

DE-ICERS ON flashed on the cockpit monitor.

"Fine, keep the wing de-icers on, too. "

R7-T1 purred.  PLEASE CONFIRM  NEGATIVE RESPONSE  TO CORUSCANT  TRAFFIC

CONTROL.

"Yes, I'm  sure I  don't want  you  to notify  traffic control  of  our

arrival. Not a peep out of you-not  even so much as a time  synchronization

check. "  He  reached forward  and  released  the cockpit  latch,  and  the

seamless bubble  tilted up  on concealed  hinges. Damp,  bitterly cold  air

poured in with the  sound of the  surf. "I'll be back  when I've found  the

hangar. "

The  beach  was  barely  thirty   meters  wide,  squeezed  between   an

angry-looking greenish sea  and a rocky  cliff half again  that high.  Just

beyond the breakers, sculpted spires of the same reddish-black rock  jutted

up from the water. Smaller chunks  of rock were scattered through the  surf

and all along the beach, half buried in the coarse brown sand. Overhead,  a

thick gray mat of clouds churned as the wind drove it briskly along.

Oblivious to the cold and the wind, Luke walked slowly south along  the

rocky beach. He held one hand out  in front of him, palm down, sweeping  it

methodically back and forth  through the air, looking  almost like a  blind

man feeling his way through an unfamiliar room.

Luke had not gone far when he stopped  and looked up at the top of  the

cliff for a long moment, then out at the twin spires of rock. Dropping  his

chin to his chest and closing his eyes, he turned through two full circles,

then looked back up at the cliff edge.

"Yes, " he said, the wind stealing the word from his lips. "Yes, it  is

here. "

He sat down on the sand, cross-legged and straight-backed, and  brought

his hands together in his lap,  fingertip to fingertip. Concentrating on  a

picture in his mind, Luke dipped his awareness deeply into the flow of  the

Force beneath  him. With  eyes that  looked inward,  he found  what he  was

seeking, like flaws in a near-perfect crystal. He extended his will.

The sand around him stirred.  The rocks shuddered, shifted, then  began

to rise  from the  sea  and the  sand  as though  sifted  from them  by  an

invisible screen.

Swirling through the air  as they sought their  place, the stones  took

shape as  broken  wall and  shattered  foundation,  as arch  and  gate  and

dome-the ruins of Darth Vader's fortress retreat. It hung in the air around

and above  Luke as  it had  once stood  atop the  cliff, a  dark-faced  and

forbidding edifice.

There was no record in Imperial City's files to say whether his  father

had ever occupied the fortress, though it had clearly been built for him in

accord with his instructions. It had been empty when it was destroyed by  a

B-wing's blasters, in the days after the New Republic reclaimed Coruscant.

Was this where Vader plotted his conquests in the Emperor's service?

Was this where he had come to rejuvenate after a battle? Had there been

celebrations here, self-indulgent pleasures or cruelties? Luke listened for

the echoes of the old evils, and could not be certain.

But that did not matter to his plans. As he had redeemed and  reclaimed

his father, he would redeem and reclaim his father's house.

Now the stones swirled again in the air, joined by others plucked  from

the sea and  stripped from the  face of  the cliff. Now  broken edge  fused

against broken edge,  and the  dark faces of  the rock  lightened as  their

mineral structure was reshuffled. Now  heavy rock walls and floors  thinned

to an airy elegance as if they were clay in a potter's press.

Now a  tower stretched  skyward until  it rose  above the  edge of  the

cliff.

When it was done, the. last gap closed, the last rock transformed,  the

structure securely  perched  just  above  the  sand  on  pillars  of  stone

extending down to the bedrock, Luke  brought the E-wing down the beach  and

nestled it in the chamber he had made for it. It was not a door that closed

over the opening, though,  but a solid  wall that closed  out not only  the

wind and the cold, but the world.

"Shut down all  systems, "  Luke told  R7-T1. "Then  place yourself  in

standby mode, I won't be needing you for a while. "

The last task was  to inspect his retreat  from the perspective of  any

outsiders whose gaze might fall upon it. All was as he had planned.

From the sky, it appeared as part  of the beach. From the sea, as  part

of the cliffs. From the beach, as part of the sky. From the cliffs, as part

of the  sea. It  was not  a trick  of camouflage,  but a  simple matter  of

allowing the essences of its substance to  be seen. The retreat was of  the

sea, and the rock, and the sand,  and the sky, in harmony with them  rather

than imposed on them.

The last test was to climb the tower and inspect the view. But when  he

looked to the east, he found his view blocked by the lowering clouds.

So he waited, shrugging off time as easily as he shrugged off the cold.

He waited until the  wind finally blew the  storm away, until he  could

see the snow-capped Menarai  Mountains ruling over the  jewel of the  Core,

outlined against the sky by the light from the yellow-faced inner moon.

"May this sight remind me always that the few stones I've gathered will

not last, " he said softly. "And may the memory of Anakin Skywalker  remind

me always that surrender is more powerful than will. "

Then he descended at last into his retreat, sealing the opening  behind

him.

Leia sat bolt upright in the darkness. "He's here. "

"What? " Han said sleepily.

"He's here-on Coruscant. "

"Who's here? "

"Luke. I felt his mind touch mine. "

"Great. Invite him to dinner, " Han said with a yawn.

"You don't  understand, "  she said  impatiently. "I  was sleeping,  or

thought I was.  I was dreaming  that Luke was  looking down at  me. Then  I

realized I was awake.  We looked at  each other for a  moment, and then  he

disappeared-as though he'd drawn a curtain. "

"Sounds like dreaming to me. "

"No, " she said, shaking her head. "You were right, Han-he's hiding. He

doesn't want to be found. "

Han pulled a pillow over his head.  "Let him hide, then. I could  sleep

at night. "

"I just want to know why.  I don't understand what's happening. "And  I

need to know that he is there if I need him, she thought.

"He'll tell us when he's ready, " Han said, drawing Leia down into  the

comforting circle of his arms.

"Sleep, my princess. Mornings always come too soon. "

Chapter 3

The broad, curving viewpanes of the staff conference room, high in  the

restored remnant of the Imperial Palace,  looked out toward the oldest  and

busiest of the three spaceports serving Imperial City.

For safety and  security reasons,  neither the landing  nor the  launch

patterns brought ships  anywhere near the  rebuilt administrative  complex.

But it was still  possible to watch their  comings and goings, and-for  the

sharp-eyed-to identify familiar types and even individual vessels. On  more

than one  occasion  Leia had  come  to the  conference  room to  watch  the

Millennium Falcon leave on a mission or watch impatiently for its return.

Rarely, though, did any of the activity at Eastport actually demand the

attention of those in  the staff conference room.  Only the largest  ships,

the occasional crash landing  and explosion, or  a full-power launch  abort

could be heard through the transparisteel.  So when the viewpanes began  to

hum in sympathy with the sound bearing on them from outside, both Leia  and

Ackbar glanced up from their work to see why.

They saw a bright spherical shape  three times the size of an  ordinary

transport descending  toward  the  spaceport. Three  much  smaller  escorts

circled it  like planets  around a  star. At  the bottom  of the  spherical

vessel, waves of atmospheric distortion rolled out of scalloped depressions

in its hull.

"I believe that ship is using Aradian pulse-lifters, undampered, " said

Ackbar. "Remarkable. Look how slow and steady the descent is. I shall  have

to have a closer look at that vessel. "

"It appears the  Duskhan delegation is  finally here, "  Leia said.  "I

guess they don't put their space-ports in family neighborhoods over in  the

Koornacht Cluster. "

"Are you not going to go greet Ambassador Spaar? "

"First Administrator Engh is there, with a protocol droid, " Leia said.

"I see, " said Ackbar. "Sending a message? "

"Only that they have  to understand that  President isn't a  ceremonial

title, " Leia said. "But I'm not singling them out. I'm slighting  everyone

from now on. There are just  too many ambassadorial missions arriving  each

week. I was spending  half my day  waiting in arrival  lounges. " Her  face

wrinkled with  annoyance. "Especially  when someone  postpones his  landing

three times, and always at the last minute. "

As she spoke she quietly refolded the blue triangle of Walallan  vellum

which a courier had placed in front of her a few moment before, and set  it

aside.

The act did not escape Ackbar's notice, since only one of his eyes  was

trained on the window. "Is that the letter from Senator Peramis? "

Leia nodded. "And? "

"It's pretty humble, " she said.

"Excellent. "

She nodded again. "I wish I  had Behn-kihlnahm's gift. He almost  never

leaves thumb  bruises  on the  throats  of his  vict-  of the  people  he's

persuading. "

"You must find out where he buys his gloves, " said Ackbar. The Duskhan

transport was on the ground now,  and the escorts were disappearing one  af

ter another into a  landing bay near  the top of the  sphere. "Do you  have

meetings scheduled with Nil Spaar? "

"In ten days. "

"That long? You should  allow the First to  handle some of the  smaller

worlds on your  schedule. Not merely  meeting their delegations-the  entire

admission process. "

"Showing them that they're going to be second-class members of the  New

Republic? I don't think so. "

"There must be a  way to shift  some of the  weight you're carrying  to

other shoulders. "

"I'll take suggestions, " she said. "But Nil Spaar asked for the delay.

He's never been  to Coruscant before.  He said  he wants to  explore a  bit

before negotiations occupy him. "

"I see, " said Ackbar. "Perhaps he's the one sending a message. "

"I'm not sure, " Leia said. She reached out and pulled a datapad across

the tabletop toward  her. "Well,  Admiral-now that  it's operational,  what

shall we do with the Fifth Fleet? "

"A trickier question  than I thought  it would be,  " admitted  Ackbar.

"Tig Peramis  has  shown  us what  we  can  expect if  there  is  even  the

appearance of gunboat diplomacy. "

Leia frowned. "I don't want us afraid  to show the flag where it  might

help cooler heads prevail. "

"Then I would  like to  send the new  fleet into  the Seventh  Security

Zone, " said Ackbar. "I know of  several worlds which would welcome even  a

short visit from a New Republic ship. And I can think of at least five pins

on the trouble map where a legitimate government has asked for our help, on

matters where even Senator Peramis can't object if we intervene. "

"Give me an example. "

"There was a new  one this morning, "  Ackbar said, folding his  hands.

"The Right  Earl of  Qalita Prime  is appealing  for help  in dealing  with

pirate raiders. Six ships have been  attacked within a month, four of  them

successfully. The cargo  syndicates are threatening  to stop supplying  the

planet. "

"Good. Very good! Go ahead and put together a patrol itinerary for  the

Fifth Fleet, " said Leia. "Make sure it's heavy on tea parties and rescuing

lost children. If  there's anyone  else in  the Seventh  Security Zone  who

thinks the way Senator Peramis does, I want his fears put to rest. "

"I can have an itinerary ready before the end of the day. "

They talked for several minutes more, discussing the deployment of  the

rest of the New Republic's space-going forces. The Second Fleet had been on

patrol the  longest without  home leave  and shipyard  services, while  the

First Fleet had been enjoying the  perks of serving as Coruscant's  defense

force for nearly as long.

On Ackbar's recommendation, Leia agreed to recall the Second Fleet  and

to send  the First  Fleet to  replace it  along the  crucial border  patrol

routes the crews called Thunder Alley.

"It should have been done sooner, "  said Ackbar, "but we have had  too

few pieces  to move  about the  board. I  have limited  myself to  rotating

individual vessels back  to the yards,  out of fear  some enemy would  take

advantage. But if we hold  the Fifth Fleet here a  few days longer, we  can

make the  exchange  without leaving  either  the capital  or  the  frontier

unprotected. "

"Do you think there's an enemy still out there? "

Leia asked. "Someone with both  the means and the  will to take on  the

entire New Republic? I  find myself much more  worried about our  stability

than our security. "

"You have  that luxury-I  do not,  " Ackbar  said. "And  remember  that

Admiral Daala is still  alive, and has the  resources of hundreds,  perhaps

thousands, of Core worlds to draw upon. She can only grow stronger as  time

passes, and may well have spies in Imperial City. "

At that  moment Leia's  comlink chirped.  "Leia? "  It was  Tolik  Yar.

"You're needed here at the Senate. There's a problem with Y'taa petition. "

Leia stood up from the table. "I'm on my way. "

She turned  toward Ackbar  and said,  "We  can take  up the  rest  this

afternoon, when you have an itinerary for me to approve. " Then she smiled.

"You may find that some of the information you need is over at Eastport. "

"I am almost certain of it, " Ackbar said gravely.

Leia's bodyguards fell in  beside her as she  left the room. The  guard

changed four  times a  day,  but somehow  they  all seemed  the  same-tall,

broad-shouldered, alert-eyed,  and  silent.  Leia had  nicknamed  them  the

Sniffer and the Shooter.

The former was plugged into a backpack full of electrical and  chemical

sensors. It was his job to make sure no bomb, poison, pathogen,  radiation,

or micro-droid harmed her. He  preceded her around corners, through  doors,

and into closed spaces.

The latter wore combat armor, a personal shield, and a SoroSuub blaster

rifle with backpack generator.

Since Leia refused to wear a personal  shield, it was his job to  place

himself between her and any would-be assassin, shield her, and strike  down

her attackers.

Han had gotten the  chief of security to  order the protection and  had

won a reluctant promise from Leia to accept it.

But Leia had never adjusted to the guards' presence, which seemed  ever

more unnecessary. And, paradoxically,  she found that  the presence of  her

personal guards didn't make  her feel safer-just  the opposite, since  they

were a constant reminder that someone might want to kill her.

So she had learned to pretend they weren't there, even when they shared

a liftcar, a scooter,  or a slidewalk  with her. She  didn't want to  learn

their real names or to become friendly with them-her promise didn't  extend

that far. She wanted them to be furniture.

The only  time she  acknowledged their  presence was  when the  Sniffer

silently signaled an  alarm. Then she  would let the  Shooter guide her  to

whatever sheltered spot he  chose, and would wait  there until the  Sniffer

satisfied himself that there was no  threat. It happened often enough  that

it no longer startled her, but infrequently enough that it was only a minor

annoyance.

Still, Leia never expected it to happen while she was walking along the

Memorial Corridor, just outside the walls of the Senate Chamber.

One moment  she was  striding briskly  past the  holo statuary  of  the

heroes of the Rebellion,  robes flying, her mind  sorting through what  she

knew about the Y'taa. Then, in an eyeblink, the Sniffer sharply raised  his

hands and the Shooter pushed Leia sideways into one of the niches where the

pillar between it and the next offered cover.

Her heart was suddenly racing, and her thoughts raced with it.

Unreasoning fear brought  back the  memory of Tig  Peramis, livid  with

anger, looking at her as  Vader's daughter instead of  as a royal child  of

Alderaan.

Was he angry enough to kill? Had Tolik Yar been tricked into  betraying

her? How horrible to be  forced to be afraid here,  on the doorstep of  the

New Republic's most  famous symbol of  freedom, the first  structure to  be

rebuilt after Imperial factions turned Imperial City into a battle zone.

Then, just as suddenly, it was over. "Clear, " the Shooter said in  his

emotionless voice, moving aside to allow Leia to emerge from the niche.

Frowning crossly, Leia hurried after  the Sniffer and demanded to  know

what had prompted the alarm.

"I detected a new energy  field at the entrance  to the Senate Hall,  "

the Sniffer said, pointing. "It became active as we approached. "

Still frowning,  Leia  strode  a  few  dozen  steps  farther  down  the

corridor, then stopped short and laughed despite herself. Hanging over  the

ornate double doors of the Senate chamber was a large holosign.

On appearance alone, the sign belonged  in a factory, beside the  entry

to the work floor. The text it displayed cemented that impression. It read

882 DAYS WITHOUT A SHOT FIRED IN ANGER Remember, Peace Is No Accident

Wearing a smile that  was broad enough to  touch her eyes, Leia  looked

left and right for the  perpetrators of the joke.  "All right, 'fess up,  "

she called out.

"Whose handiwork is this? "

Tolik Yar emerged from the shadow of a pillar to Leia's left and showed

a toothy, self-satisfied grin. "If it works for broken toes, bumped  heads,

and burned fingers, why not for higher stakes as well? "

"I like  it,  "  Leia  confessed.  "But  isn't  it  a  bit-undignified?

Behn-kihl-nahm will never let it stay. "

"Behn-kihl-nahm helped arrange  for it  to be installed,  " said  Tolik

Yar. "And  as for  dignity-any  senator more  concerned with  dignity  than

outcomes desperately  needs to  be reminded  why we're  here. Wouldn't  you

agree? "

"You are a gem, Tolik Yar, "  she said, surprising him with a hug.  She

turned back and looked up at the sign.  "I do agree. And I think we  should

have a little celebration when that number reaches a thousand. "

"I'll let it be known. In the meantime, good news-the problem with  the

Y'taa has  unexpectedly beenresolved.  My apologies  for interrupting  your

day. " He bowed deeply and backed away.

"Scamp, " she said. Her smile lasted all the way back to her desk.

The shipyard boss beamed broadly as he led Han Solo and Chewbacca  into

the hangar where a gleaming Millennium Falcon rested on its skids.

"You're going to  be very  happy, very happy,  " he  said, rubbing  his

palms together. "I only let my best mechanics touch her. "

"No droids,  "  Han  said  in a  warning  tone,  surveying  the  ship's

exterior. "You better  not have  used any droids.  Droids don't  understand

creative engineering. "

"No droids, " the yard boss  said reassuringly. "It was all hand  work.

Which is why the rebuild  took so long, of course.  The crew chief used  to

work on Corellian  freighters at  Toprawa. Stock, of  course, nothing  like

what you have here.  But at least  he knows the model  well enough to  spot

your modifications. "

Chewbacca stopped under  one of the  ship's forward-pointing  mandibles

and looked up at the equipment-studded hull plates. Pointing at one of  the

lower deflector  emitters, he  turned  his head  toward  Han and  loosed  a

plaintive howl.

"What? "  asked  the  yard  boss, his  gaze  quickly  settling  on  the

Wookiee's point of concern.  "Oh, yes, we realigned  all the emitters.  You

were getting interference nodes to  port and starboard-left her  vulnerable

to a side attack. "

"You promised you wouldn't change anything, " Han said threateningly.

"I promised we'd put her right, and that's what we did, " the yard boss

said, leading the way to the boarding  ramp. "First we took her apart  down

to the frame, then we  took the frame apart-we  have holos, you'll have  to

see how twisted some  of the ribs and  stringers were. Structurally,  she's

about fifteen percent new. "

Han walked right past the boarding ramp, continuing to circle the  ship

as though doing  a preflight  check. "Yeah, well,  she's had  a few  bumps.

Never failed me in the clutch, though. "

Chewbacca voiced his agreement in a defiant guttural growl.

Frowning, the yard  boss came  back down the  ramp and  fell in  behind

them. "Well, that's a  small miracle, considering what  we found under  the

access panels. How  you serviced her  systems the way  she was, I'll  never

know. When we built her  back up, all the  cables were properly tagged  and

bundled, all the  mechanicals shock-mounted, all  the electricals  grounded

and pulse-shielded-"

"I knew I should have been keeping an eye on you, " Han said. "Probably

added a couple of tons to her displacement-"

"She's three hundred kilos lighter. "

"I would have done it all myself,  you know. But there just isn't  time

anymore. "

Chewie grunted expressively.

"Yeah, I couldn't stand to see her all in pieces, either, " Han agreed.

"Not with someone else's  hands in her guts.  Autopsies and rebuilds  don't

want to be around either one. " He paused, looking up at the drive  matrix.

"Say, is that a Seinar Systems augmentor? "

"It is. "

"Well, I'll be  a-" His expression  softened to wonder.  "We tried  for

years to get one of those on the black market. Remember, Chewie? But  every

time we  got a  lead on  one, it  turned out  to be  pre-Imperial junk,  or

something pulled out of the wreck of  a TIE fighter, with the scorch  marks

painted over. How did your-"

The yard boss smiled. "Don't ask, General. "

Chewbacca yawned a comment  under his breath, and  Han answered with  a

crooked smile. "Yeah, I guess there're a few advantages to wearing a braid.

"

He cocked his head at the yard boss. "So are there any more  surprises?

"

"A few, " the yard  boss said, reclaiming the  role of tour guide.  "We

replaced your missing escape pods. Upgraded the tractor beam generator to a

Mark Seven, and the hyperdrive motivator to a Series Four-oh-one-"

"Holy mother of meteors. "

"-Replaced all  the  sensor  lenses.  Duplicated  an  original  YT-1300

battery regulator from Corellian specs-"

"That was probably a mistake. "

"-Recarpeted the holds and crew quarters. Fixed the sticky latch on the

Number Two storage locker. Recharged the  sanitizer in the refresher. "  He

smiled. "Want to take her for a spin? "

Gesturing with one furry hand, Chewbacca registered his vote.

"Yeah, all that history gone. It  won't be the same Falcon without  the

creaks and the shakes, " Han said.

"No, it won't, "  said the yard boss.  "She'll be about twenty  percent

faster, ten percent more efficient, and a hundred percent more reliable. "

"Keys in the ignition? "

The yard boss  nodded. "The  security system's  been reinitialized  for

you-just enter new authorization codes. "

Han looked at  Chewbacca. "I think  Leia can  get by without  us for  a

little longer. Let's wring her out a little. "

"Have fun, " the yard boss  said, his self-satisfied smile restored  to

full brightness. "You're already cleared for orbit. "

Waving their ID cards  at the scanners, Han  and Chewbacca entered  the

grounds of the presidential residence in full stride and in the middle of a

full-blown argument.

"I know, I know, she's perfect, "  Han said. "I know, we couldn't  have

gotten her into that kind of shape in  a year of weekends. So what? I  hate

perfect. "

Chewbacca shook his head and uttered a long, whining growl that bespoke

his frustration.

"I am not  being unreasonable. How  can you say  that? " Han  demanded,

raising his hands in disgust. "Weren't you paying attention? Were you  even

listening while we were landing? "

Jerking his head back sharply, Chewbacca grunted a sharp retort.

"That's right-hardly a sound. She's as tight as a new boot, " Han said,

stopping and turning  on his friend.  "Listen, buddy, I  hate new boots.  I

like my boots covered  with scuffs, worn just  this side of falling  apart,

with room for my toes and a little roll in the heels. All those noises they

took out, that's how I used to know when I was pushing her. How am I  gonna

know how hard we're hit next time we're in a scrap? "

Chewbacca shook his head and growled his disgust.

"I thought  you'd understand,  " Han  said plaintively.  "Chewie,  they

replaced the cushions on the acceleration couches. " His tone was rich with

indignation. "Don't they  understand why people  keep old furniture  around

the house? That's not  my Falcon. It feels  like I'm sitting in  somebody's

else's ship. I tell you,  I'm gonna have to take  a whole day to go  around

with a wrench and start loosening things-" Somewhere in the middle of Han's

tirade, Chewbacca stopped listening to him. He stood straighter and  cocked

his head while attending to a  sound from farther away. Finally he  grabbed

Han by the shoulder and gave him a little shake to interrupt him.

"Arroora, " the Wookiee said chidingly.

"What? "  Han said,  twisting around  to look  toward the  gardens.  "I

didn't hear her. "

Together they hurried down the walk toward Leia's voice. They found her

on the back lawn, tailor-sitting  on the grass with  a datapad in her  lap.

Nearby, all  three children  lay side  by side  on their  backs, with  eyes

either closed or  staring blankly  upward. "I  thought you'd  be back  long

before this, " Leia said, with a hint of impatience in her voice. "I had to

postpone an appointment with Senator Noimm. "

Han looked down, embarrassed. "Sorry, honey, " he said, sitting  beside

her and reaching for her hand. "There were problems at the yard. "

"And I'll bet you caused most of 'em, " she said, leaning over to  kiss

his cheek. "Right, Chewie? "

The bronze-furred Wookiee looked away, shifted his weight from one foot

to the other, and scratched his head distractedly.

"It's okay, Chewie, " Han said. "I'll rat on myself, so you don't  have

to. " He nodded toward the children, who had neither moved nor made a sound

since he and Chewbacca had arrived. "What did you do to them, kill them? "

Jaina giggled at that, spoiling the effect.

"It's an exercise, " Leia said.

"What, to see who can levitate the longest? "

"Bite your tongue, " said Leia sharply. "They're working on feeling the

Force flowing  through  the grass,  through  each separate  plant,  without

disturbing the flow. It's  one of the Jedi  disciplines of moving  lightly,

leaving no sign. "

Chewbacca growled.

"Don't look at me, Chewie,  " said Han, lying  back in the grass.  "The

best discipline I know is the sentence 'Wait till your mother gets home.  '

"

Leia smiled and poked him with a forefinger. "I feel like I hardly know

enough myself to be their teacher, " she  said with a sigh, "but I have  to

do what  I can.  " More  loudly  she added,  "All right,  children,  that's

enough. "

One after another,  Jacen, Jaina, and  Anakin sat up.  Jacen plucked  a

blade of grass and  started trying to whistle  through it, drawing a  glare

from his sister and a look of injured surprise from his younger brother.

"Tell me what you learned, " Leia said.

Jaina looked toward her parents.  "The grass doesn't mind being  walked

on, but it does feel it. "

"Everything that's alive  can feel  what happens  to it,  " said  Leia.

"That's an important truth to remember. Anakin? Jacen? What about you? "

Anakin laced his fingers behind his neck as a pillow.

"I don't know if I learned something or made it up. "

"Tell us. "

"Well-I was looking at the clouds. And I thought I could feel the grass

looking at them, too. Like they were wondering if it was going to rain. "

"I'm sure  the  grass  is aware  of  the  weather, "  Leia  said.  "But

wondering is something conscious beings are blessed with. "

"Or cursed, " said Han.

"I learned  that  the grass  thinks  Jaina  smells bad,  "  Jacen  said

impishly, giving his twin a push and  rolling away from her. "Can we go  in

the pool, Mother? "

"All right, "  she said, accepting  that the exercise  was over.  Three

small bodies scrambled up from the grass and ran fleet-footedly toward  the

courtyard and the vortex pool.

"I can go watch them, " Han said, sitting up.

"Stay. They'll be all right, " Leia said, shielding her eyes.  "Chewie,

you look even taller than usual from down here. I hope your mate is  bigger

than me.  Did you  have as  hard a  time as  my dear  husband did,  letting

someone else work on his jalopy? "

Chewbacca crouched down, sitting on his heels with an easy balance that

reminded Han that his friend came from an arboreal planet. Lifting his face

to the sky, he growled proudly.

"Oh, right, fine, you're  the practical one,  and I'm the  hot-tempered

one, " Han said. "Have you ever heard such character assassination? "

"Don't worry, dear,  " Leia said,  patting his hand.  "I won't let  him

change how I feel about you. "

The Wookiee's first grunt was a retort, the second a question.

"Of course-go ahead, " said Leia.

Rolling his head  from side  to side on  his neck,  Chewbacca loosed  a

long, well-modulated growl. Before  it was over, Han  sat up with a  start,

staring at Chewbacca.

"Go home? " he demanded. "Go home? "

"Of course, " Leia said to Chewbacca. "You have a family of your own, a

mate and a child. Your responsibility to them is every bit as important  as

the obligations you feel toward us. Tell him, Han. "

"Huh? Look, who's going to help me put the Falcon out of order again? "

Leia poked him in the ribs.

"Ow! "

"Try again, " she said.

"I guess it's  been a  long time,  pal, "  Han said,  wearing a  rueful

expression. "Family won't recognize  you if you don't  get back there  soon

and spend more time hanging around the home tree. "

Chewbacca shook his head up and down as he answered.

"Of course we understand, " Leia said. "You've been here taking care of

our kids instead of on Kash-yyyk with your own. You really should be  there

for Lumpawaroo's coming-of-age.  We insist you  go. I feel  bad that  we've

been so selfish. "

The Wookiee answered with an uncharacteristically tentative growl.

"No, we'll manage just fine, " Leia said. "The kids are safe here,  and

we're not  going  to  be running  all  over  the galaxy.  And  Luke  is  on

Coruscant-"

"Leia-"

"-and he'll be helping us with the children. No, don't give it a second

thought. You should leave as soon as you can pack. Tell him, Han. "

Han nodded. "Leia's  right, old  buddy. It's  a good  time. Things  are

quiet. We'll miss  ya, but you've  been standing watch  on our bridge  long

enough. "

Subtle movements. of  muscles under fur  marked Chewbacca's relief  and

gratitude. "Rrargrarg? " he asked, cocking his head.

"Shoot, pal, " said Han, showing an  easy grin. But his face paled  and

his eyes widened as Chewbacca asked  his second favor. "Oh, no-oh, no.  You

can't ask me that. I just got her back after a hundred and sixty-seven days

on the hook. "

Chewbacca's grunt was terse and snide.

"I don't care if I said I hated  new boots, " Han said. "I hate  having

someone else's feet in my boots even more. Friendship only goes so far. "

"What are you talking about? " Leia demanded.

"Aw, he's just trying to  hold me to my own  words. I don't have to  be

consistent if I don't want to. "

With a peevish growl, Chewbacca stood and started to turn away.

"Don't you move, Chewie, " Leia said sharply. "Han, come on! You should

lend him the Falcon. "

"Well, I don't  want to, "  Han said,  getting to his  feet and  pacing

nervously. "I don't want her bouncing around hyperspace without me. I  want

her where I know  the worst thing  that can happen  is that some  overeager

mechanic with  a  torque  wrench  will  come  along  and  tighten  all  the

connectors to spec.  And you  know how  Wookiees fly-he'll  redline it  the

whole way there and back. "

Leia shook her head. "And you wonder why Jacen gives us a hard time. "

"Arrarrarooerrr, " Chewbacca said plaintively to Leia.

"You hear that? " Leia said. "Han, dear-how many years of Chewie's life

have you taken so far? How long have you kept him away from Kashyyyk? "

"Me? I didn't do it.  It's that crazy Wookiee  life debt stuff. I'd  be

glad to let him off the hook. "

"The least you could do is let him go back a hero, in the ship both  of

you made famous. Think what that could  mean to Chewie's son, to his  mate.

It might go a long way toward  making up for Chewie's absence to know  that

he was doing something that mattered, to see him honored. "

"I suppose, " Han said dubiously.

"And he's your friend. You wouldn't want him to think you were  willing

to lend the Millennium Falcon to Lando-" Han shook a finger warningly.

"That's different. That was war. And I still didn't like it. "

"-but not to him. You  wouldn't want him to  think you were willing  to

lose the Falcon to Lando in a sabacc game, but you won't lend it-"

"Her. Her, not it. "

"-to Chewbacca  for  his homecoming.  You  wouldn't want  to  hurt  his

feelings like that, would you? "

Holding his  head in  his hands  as  though trying  to massage  away  a

headache, Han looked  from Leia  to Chewbacca and  back to  Leia again.  He

squinted, frowned, chewed his lower lip, shook his head. His mouth  worked,

and he made a noise that sounded something like "Not fair. "

"What? " said Leia. "What did you say? "

Han cleared his  throat and  looked straight  at Chewbacca.  "I said  I

guess if we need a lift  somewhere while you're gone, either the  president

or the princess can probably arrange something. "

Chewbacca crowed his delight and rushed forward to hug Han. "But  you'd

better take care of  her! " Han added  quickly, squirming uncomfortably  in

the Wookiee's crushing embrace. "I want  her back without a scratch,  d'you

hear me? Not a scratch. And fill  the tanks before you leave Kashyyyk.  I'm

not paying for your conjugal visits. "

The only response  Chewbacca made  was to  ruffle Han's  hair while  he

showed a toothy openmouthed grin.

When Chewbacca  was  gone,  Leia  drew Han  into  a  gentler  and  more

agreeable embrace. "I'm proud of you, " she said. "He'd never say  anything

to either of us, but he still hasn't stopped feeling awful inside about the

kidnapping of the kids. "

Han did not  have to ask  Leia how she  knew about Chewbacca's  private

pain. "It wasn't his fault. "

"You'll never convince him of that. He feels guilty for failing us. And

he feels guilty for neglecting his own. He really needs to go home and  get

his confidence back. " She drew back and smiled up at her husband.

"And from what I hear, looking after Wookiee children is good  practice

for looking after Jedi children. "

"Maybe I should go with him. "

"You don't need to, " she said, and kissed him.

"Yeah, well, fine, " Han said. "I'll tell you this much, though. Luke'd

better come teach  the kids how  to flap  their arms and  fly. Because  I'm

never giving Jacen the codes to the Falcon. Not in my lifetime, anyway. "

"Why? Didn't you  start piloting  everything in  sight as  soon as  you

could? "

"Of course  I  did, "  Han  said indignantly.  "Why  do you  think  I'm

worried? "

The unmarked office of Admiral Drayson lay buried inside five  security

perimeters and  hidden behind  a curtain  of misinformation  and  plausible

deniability.

The section  he  commanded had  no  publicly known  name.  The  private

name-Alpha Blue-was known only to the dozen officials with the very highest

clearances, and appeared nowhere in either the government's or the military

command's data records. Those whom Drayson commanded carried no Alpha  Blue

identification cards and passed under no Alpha Blue insignia on the way  to

their jobs. They  wore the  insignia of  a variety  of unremarkable  units,

or-like  Drayson  himself-no  insignia  at  all,  and  took  their  pay  as

quartermasters' mates  and  second  gunners,  ion  mechanics  and  civilian

clerks.

Given that context, Drayson was just a little surprised the morning  he

entered  his  office  and  found  someone  already  there,  uninvited   and

unannounced--someone who did not  work for him and  yet was bold enough  to

sit in Drayson's chair, with his feet up on the corner of Drayson's desk.

"Well, " Drayson said. "Lando  Calrissian. You're lucky I didn't  shoot

you. "

Lando grinned. "I was counting on your  being too curious how I got  in

to shoot me right away. "

"I said shoot  you, not kill  you. Blowing apart  your knee would  have

been sufficient, " Drayson said. "Now, please get out of my chair. "

"Oh, if you insist,  " Lando said, vacating  the chair with a  flourish

that left  it slowly  spinning.  "I was  just  following my  dear  mother's

advice. "

"On breaking and entering? "

"On avoiding stress. 'Never stand when you can sit down, and never  sit

when you can lie down. ' "

"I see, " Drayson said, stopping the rotation of his chair with a  hand

and dropping into it. "I haven't heard anything of you in some time-"

"I doubt that. "

"Not since Mara Jade showed such surprising resistance to your  charms.

"

"How kind of you to remember. "

Drayson steepled  his  fingers. "My  own  theory is  that  you've  been

consoling yourself by  spending the  reward from Duchess  Mistal in  sabacc

halls and on pleasure couches. Anything left of it? "

Lando smiled and sat on the edge of the desk.

"I'm sure you could tell me to the half-credit. You never have forgiven

me for the fact that because you and your Chandrila goons could never catch

me and the Falcon, have you? Or for the fact that you caught so many of the

dumb and clumsy smugglers, I made a fortune on my Chandrila runs. I  really

should have given you a share. "

"You never have gotten over this notion that smuggling is an  honorable

line of work, have you? " Drayson  asked, tipping back in his chair.  "What

makes you think I would have taken your dirty money? "

"Because I knew  what kind  of chit  the Admiral  of Chandrila  Defense

Fleet was drawing,  " Lando said.  "Every good smuggler  knows that  bribes

will get him places bravado won't. "

For the first time, Drayson smiled. "You know, Baron, I really hate the

fact that I can't help but like you. "

"I know, "  Lando said. "I  have the  same problem. I  never thought  I

could be friends with someone who was so fond of rules. "

"Well-life is full of  surprises. Not that seeing  you is one. To  tell

the truth-"

"Oh, why start now? "

"-I've been half expecting to see  you since I heard thatLady Luck  had

docked upstairs. Though I didn't think it'd be with your feet up on my desk

like you  were taking  over. "  Drayson  folded his  arms over  his  chest.

"So-what can I do for you? "

"Wrong question, Admiral, " Lando said. "What can I do for you? "

"Pardon? "

"I'm bored,  " Lando  explained simply.  "I go  in business,  I make  a

little money, I  lose a  little money-the game  isn't interesting  anymore.

Someone throws  a title  at  me, and  I pick  up  the pieces  someone  else

dropped-until one day  I realize I'm  sitting behind a  desk, turning  into

you. There's  no challenge  in smuggling,  unless  you want  to go  to  the

Core-and I'm too smart to be that dumb. And there's hardly a scrap anywhere

in twenty parsecs worth getting dirty for. That's why I'm here. "

"You're bored, " Drayson repeated.

"Exactly. Find something interesting for me to do and I'll tell you how

I got past  your perimeters. "  His 'expression was  suddenly touched  with

regret. "I'm afraid there  are a couple of  security types you're going  to

have to let go, though. "

"I see, "  said Drayson. "Any  particular reason you  happened to  find

yourself afflicted by boredom at this moment in time? "

"Why do you ask? "

Drayson pursed his  lips. "I can't  say anything more  unless you  come

back in. "

"Will I be sorry if I do? "

"Aren't you always? "

General Lando  Calrissian and  Admiral Drayson,  chief of  Alpha  Blue,

stood before a  large briefing screen  studying a holo  image of a  strange

space vessel.

The vessel's five cylindrical hulls, lying parallel to each other  like

a bundle of  logs, were  so dark  in color  that it  was hard  to see  much

detail. But  the  sensor's scale  markings  along  the edge  of  the  frame

betrayed its size.

"I give  up, "  Lando said  finally. "I  almost want  to say  it's  Mon

Calamari construction, but I don't think they ever built anything that big.

What is it? "

"The  Teljkon  vagabond.  "  When  Lando's  face  showed  no  signs  of

recognition, Drayson asked, "Are you familiar with the legend of theAnother

Chance ? "

Lando cocked an  eyebrow questioningly. "The  Alderaan armory ship?  Of

course. Every smuggler in  that sector has a  story about seeing it.  Which

means that every smuggler in that sector is a bald-faced liar. "

"You don't believe the legend, then? "

"Revisionist history, " Lando said, shaking his head.

"Explain. "

"I just  can't believe  that when  the pacifists  took over  Alderaan's

Council of elders, they were cynical enough to pack all the weapons into  a

ship and send it hopping through  hyperspace. They just had reason to  wish

they had done it, when the Empire came knocking a few years later. "  Lando

sighed deeply.  "Believe me,  I wish  the legend  was true.  I wish  they'd

recalledAnother Chance before  the Death  Star reached  Alderaan. But  it's

just another shaggy-ghost-ship st ory. "

"I agree, " Drayson said, reaching  out and tapping the surface of  the

screen. "But this  is a real  ghost ship-probably the  one that's kept  the

legend ofAnother Chance  alive. This  holo was  taken by  the New  Republic

frigateBoldheart, five years ago, right in the middle of that business with

Admiral Daala. "

Lando smiled wryly, remembering just how close "that business" had come

to being the end of the New Republic.

"Just after this image was taken, Boldheartfired across the  vagabond's

bow, " Drayson  continued. "The vagabond  fired back with  some weapons  we

still don't understand, disablingBoldheart'sengines with one shot. Then  it

jumped into hyperspace. It  wasn't seen again for  almost two years.  Bored

yet? ".

"No, go on. "

Admiral Drayson turned away from  the briefing display and walked  back

to a seat at the conference  bar. "That was actually the second  documented

sighting. The first  to spot  it was a  Hrasskis monitor  ship working  the

Teljkon system. "

"Thus the name. "

"Right. The Hrasskis took it for a derelict and tried to intercept  it.

Now, mind you, they'd been hailing it  for hours, and not a peep in  reply.

Then the  vagabond broadcast  a five-second  wide-spectrum modulation  that

nearly burned  out every  comm  circuit on  the  Hrasskis ship.  There's  a

recording, but  it's  so  distorted it's  almost  useless.  Anyway,  thirty

seconds after it sent the signal-"

"Let me guess. Skipped into hyperspace. "

"On the numbers. "

"What about the third sighting? "

"That was ours. We thought we  were going to be smart. An  Intelligence

Service ferret tried  to attach a  locator limpet to  the vagabond's  hull.

Never even got close. "

"And the fourth? "

Drayson leaned back  in his  chair and  drummed his  fingertips on  the

armrest. "It's in deep space near Gmar Askitoh right now. We're trailing it

with another ferret-"

"Keeping a safe distance, I hope. "

"Very safe. But we're going after it, " Drayson said. "Intelligence  is

putting together a small  task force this very  minute. They mean to  catch

the vagabond, board it, and unravel the riddles. Colonel Pakkpekatt of  the

Intelligence Service is in  charge. If you'd  come to me  even a week  from

now, it would have been too late-they'd already have sailed. "

"Is that so, " Lando  said, his face as unreadable  as if he were at  a

sabacc table. "What fortuitous timing. "

"Indeed. So-is that interesting enough? "

"It's an  interesting  story, "  Lando  said pointedly.  "I  don't  see

anything interesting to do yet, though. "

Draysoh's expression turned gravely  serious. "I'd like  to put you  on

Pakkpekatt's ship-nominally as Fleet  liaison. Boldheart was regular  navy,

after all. Intelligence can't deny that they have an interest. "

"But I'd really be there for you? "

"No, " said Drayson. "I could have put any number of Alpha Blue  agents

in the task force. In fact, you don't know that I haven't. No, I don't want

you to report to me. "

"Then why do you want me on the mission? "

"Because you  think  like a  smuggler,  and Pakkpekatt  thinks  like  a

colonel. Because you have a way of getting yourself where people don't want

you, past traps that others don't see until it's too late. Because I  think

the mission has a better chance of  succeeding if you're there than if  you

aren't. "

"That's all? "

"That's all. That's  my job, "  Drayson said. "To  make sure that  some

things happen, and make sure others don't.  So, make up your mind. Are  you

interested? Want to go chase the Teljkon vagabond? "

Lando just grinned.

Chapter 4

In the first  quiet moment of  the day, Han's  comlink unit chirped  at

him.

"Han, this is Luke, a familiar voice said. "Will you come see me? "

"What? Luke? Hey, kid, your sister's been looking everywhere for you-"

"I know, " Luke said. "Will you come see me, alone? "

"Uh-all right. Where are  you? Are you really  on Coruscant, like  Leia

says? "

Luke did not answer directly. "Take your speeder due west from Imperial

City. When you reach the  coast, turn off your  nav system and release  the

controls. I'll bring you here. "

"Well-okay. That's easy enough. But it'll have to be later, " Han  said

apologetically. "Tonight. Somebody's got to watch the kids. "

"Of course, I'll see you tonight. "

"Wait, " Han said quickly, before  Luke could break the link. "Is  this

supposed to be a secret? Can I tell Leia where I'm going? "

"If you need to. I don't want you to lie to her. "

"You sure you don't want to just call her yourself, talk to her? "

"I'm sure,  Luke said.  "Tell her  what you  need to.  But please  come

alone. "

The shore of the  western sea had been  a glittering playground, a  gay

andGlorious world that never slept, before the clone Emperor's Force  storm

had ravaged Coruscant. It had  yet to fully recover.  Only the lights of  a

few scattered resorts marked the broken lines of the coast as Han's speeder

flashed overhead and bored into the dark sky over the western sea.

Han waited several long seconds, until he realized he couldn't say what

exactly he was waiting  for. "Okay, Luke.  Hope you're listening,  wherever

you are. I really don't want to go swimming tonight. "

Leaning forward, Han  reached out and  switched off the  nav system,  a

process that took  three confirmations and  two overrides. A  third of  the

speeder's cockpit controls went dark,  while a bright orange legend  across

the bottom of the viewshield warned FLIGHT MODE.

"Here goes nothing, " Han said  with a sigh, sitting back and  crossing

his arms over his chest.

Almost immediately the  speeder veered sharply  right and dived  toward

the water.  It was  all Han  could do  to stop  himself from  grabbing  the

controls again.

But the speeder soon leveled off, though at an alarmingly low altitude.

The moon  was still  well below  the  horizon, but  Han could  see  the

undulating surface of the sea by the pale phosphorescent light of  millions

of tiny creatures riding the swells  and currents. The sight was eerie  and

marvelous, but it was also barely an arm's length below the flat  underside

of the speeder, and racing by at a dizzying clip.

"Hey, Luke-you  out  there?  "  Han said,  slouching  as  much  as  the

speeder's seat and  his long legs  would allow.  "Is this gonna  be a  long

flight? Do I have time for a nap? Hey, pal, you can start food service  any

time. "

There was no response.

"Lousy spacelines,  "  Han muttered,  closing  his eyes.  "They're  all

smiles till they have your money and herd you on board. Then see if you can

get a glass of water-" A long-winged sea shrike rose from the rocks to  fly

in formation with Han's speeder as,  slowing, it arrowed toward the  beach.

Wakened by the change in the pitch of the speeder's thrusters, Han strained

to make out where it might be headed.

Then a hole  opened in the  sky ahead,  a brightly lit  oval that  hung

above the beach like a doorway to  morning. The sea shrike veered off,  and

the speeder coasted through the oval of  light and settled on the floor  of

an otherwise empty high-ceilinged chamber.

Han twisted sideways in his seat to see where he had come from, just in

time to watch the opening seal itself behind him.

Hello, Han, a voice said in his mind. Come up.

"Come up? " Han said, scrambling  out of-the speeder. "There's no-"  As

he began  his protest,  the nearest  wall deformed  into a  ladder, and  an

opening appeared in  the ceiling above  it. "Sure,  " Han said.  "As if  it

would have been any more trouble to make stairs. "

But he reached out and clambered up the rungs all the same, taking them

two at a time as a point of pride. He wasn't happy, though, to hear his own

grunts at the bottom or feel his heart racing at the top.

Han found himself  standing at  the bottom  of a  large spherical  room

containing no furniture or  technology-at least, none  that he could  spot.

"Now what? "

Keep coming, said the voice in his head. Walk up the wall.

"Easy for you to say, " Han said, starting to feel annoyed.

But the opening he  had climbed through  had already vanished,  leaving

him with little choice. He  started up the curving  wall, and found to  his

surprise that wherever he stood seemed to be the bottom of the sphere.

There was no telling whether it was a trick with grav fields, some sort

of Jedi legerdemain, or  the room itself was  turning under him. Han  tried

not to think about it, though his steps became cautious as he went past the

halfway point  up the  wall-or,  at least,  what  should have  seemed  like

halfway up the wall.

After he  had gone  a dozen  more  tentative steps,  a section  of  the

floor-wall? ceiling? -ahead of him dropped away to form a ramp leading  out

of the  sphere. It  seemed to  Han  as though  he must  be upside  down  in

relation to the  rest of the  structure, but he  found himself,  apparently

right side  up, entering  a large  pyramidal  room from  one of  its  three

sloping sides. It was as lacking in  amenities as any space he had seen  so

far, and lit  by the same  curious uniform  glow that seemed  to come  from

behind the walls without making them bright  to the eyes. The light was  as

cold as the air.

"Nice little tree house, " Han said, moving slowly toward the center of

the room,  looking up  at  the apex  of the  chamber.  "And you've  done  a

wonderful job of cutting down on clutter. I think you've taken the idea  of

concealed storage to a new level. You'll have to give Leia the name of your

decorator. "

"Thank you for coming, Han,  " a voice said  behind him. "It's good  to

see you. "

Han spun around and found Luke standing one long stride away, almost as

if he had been following Han. Han's face broke into a boyish lopsided grin.

"Well, hey, I wanted to  get out of the house,  and since I was in  the

neighborhood- You know, you could've come to see us, too. "

"No, I couldn't, "  Luke said. He wore  an ankle-length patchwork  robe

that seemed to  be made from  bits of several  other garments, including  a

pilot's uniform and  a Tatooine  sand cape.  His demeanor  was relaxed  but

remote, quelling Han's impulse to  grab him in a bear  hug and clap him  on

the back. "I hope by the time you leave, you'll understand why. "

"Well-you'll have to start at the beginning, because I don't understand

a thing about what's going on, " Han said. "What is this place? Why are you

here? Why are you hiding? Why am I here? Why didn't you want Leia to  come?

"

"Leia wants something  from me,  " Luke  said. "You  don't. Your  other

questions will take longer to answer. "

Han  looked  around  with  a  frown.  "If  this  is  gonna  be  a  long

conversation-I don't suppose you have anything like a chair anywhere? "

"Sorry, " Luke said, dropping gracefully into a cross-legged meditation

posture. "Sit where you like, and I'll put an air cushion under you. "

He waited until Han was comfortably settled, then went on. "As you see,

I can hide well  enough, even from  Leia. But I'd rather  be left alone.  I

hope that you'll go back and ask  her to accept that. If she  doesn't-well,

she's not going to get  what she wants. She's only  going to drive me  away

from Coruscant. "

"I don't get it, " Han said. "Why? You two have always been close. What

happened? "

"Nothing, " Luke said. "I just can't be close with anyone right now. "

"Go on. I'm listening. "

Luke nodded, but looked down into  his lap before continuing. "I  don't

know if you can understand  or not. When I first  met Obi-Wan, he'd been  a

hermit on Tatooine for  ten years or  more. When I first  met Yoda, he  had

been a hermit on Dagobah  for a hundred years or  more. I never thought  to

ask either of them why. "

"A little late for that now, " Han said with a wry smile.

"At the  time, I  assumed they  were both  in hiding.  Hiding from  the

Emperor, from my father. But that makes no sense. "

"No? Nothing personal, but hiding from  that pair makes great sense  to

me. I can think of a couple of times I'd have been glad to do it if I could

have. "

"But why in the middle of a desert, or a jungle? "

"Eh-isn't that obvious? "

"No, " Luke said, shaking his head.  "It's much easier for Han Solo  to

hide--even with  a price  on his  head-than for  a powerful  Jedi,  whether

Knight or Dark Lord. A Jedi's physical presence is only a small portion  of

his connection to the universe. Change  his face, hide him from sight,  and

I'll still feel his presence when he draws on the Force. It doesn't  matter

if he's in the next room or across the system. Remember when we were taking

the stolen shuttle to Endor, to destroy the second Death Star's shield? "

"Yeah, " Han said. "You were  pretty jumpy. You said Vader could  sense

you. "

"He did sense me, " Luke said. "I didn't have the skill yet to make the

waters still. But Obi-Wan  and Yoda were Masters.  If they could hide  from

the Emperor-and I  believe they  could-why, they  could as  easily hide  in

Imperial City, or on Vader's own Star Destroyer, as anywhere. And if  their

skills weren't equal to Palpatine's,  neither distance nor isolation  could

save them from being discovered. "

"Maybe they hid  out in the  sticks so no  one else would  get hurt  if

Vader showed up, " Han suggested. "You've gotta admit, when you guys fight,

it has a  way of  getting messy.  We've got a  few monuments  to that  fact

downtown in Imperial City.

Luke shook his head. "No. I discovered  the real reason while I was  on

Yavin-the dilemma that  every Jedi  eventually faces. I  discovered a  very

important and difficult  truth, Han-a frustrating  truth. The stronger  you

become in the Force, the more that you can do, the more that's expected  of

you, and the less your life belongs to you. "

"Is this the answer, then? " Han  said, gesturing at the room with  one

hand. "Running away? "

"Call it that if you must. It's one answer. There's another, even  less

appealing, " Luke said. "Han, I'm convinced that for each Jedi, there comes

a point at which he or she must  choose. When the world presses in on  you,

threatens to drive you mad, there're only two ways you can find peace.  One

is to impose your will on everyone and everything around you. The other  is

to surrender your will,  your ego, and withdraw  from those who are  always

wanting you to 'fix' their lives. "

"I don't see it, " Han said stubbornly.

Luke smiled. "Try to imagine that  you're at home. One of the  children

is screaming, and the other two are tugging at your elbows, each  demanding

that you punish the other for some slight. "

"Routine, " Han said.

"Chewbacca  is  playing  tree-drum   music  at  ear-splitting   levels.

SeeThreepio is  nattering  on about  nothing.  Artoo-Detoo is  behind  your

chair, arguing with the household droids in Basic. The hypercomm is blaring

two channels at  once, both too  loudly. Your comlink  is chirping in  your

pocket. You have three messages from people who want you to come do them  a

favor, and Leia's insisting on your  attention. Lando has a raucous  sabacc

game going in  the next  room, there's  someone at  the front  door, and  a

flight of airspeeders keeps buzzing right over your head. "

"Okay, that'd  be a  little  worse than  routine,  " Han  conceded.  "A

little. "

"Now imagine it goes on around the clock for a day, ten days, a  month,

half a year, a  year-not only without  a break, but  getting worse all  the

time. Until you reach  your limit, whatever your  limit might be. What  are

your choices? Control your environment, or leave it. "

"Or go  mad and  destroy it,  " Han  said. "Which  hardly counts  as  a

choice. Yeah, I think I get the picture now. "

"Do you see what a thin line separates Palpatine and Yoda? " Luke  said

earnestly. "Palpatine  sought power  over others.  Yoda sought  power  from

within. Palpatine wanted control  of everything, in  the hopes of  building

what he thought  would be  a perfect  universe. Yoda  gave up  the idea  of

controlling or perfecting the universe, in the hopes of understanding it. "

"You know, " Han said slowly, "I  always kind of wondered why you  drew

the short  straw, why  Yoda and  Obi-Wan didn't  team up  and take  on  the

Emperor themselves-"

"Yes! " Luke said, his  face more animated than  Han had seen it  since

arriving. "I think that's why  it fell to me, Han.  That's why I had to  be

the one to face Vader. I still had the passion to reshape things, a passion

ObiWan and Yoda had moved beyond. Surrender disarms you. "

Han's expression showed his disgust. "It's pretty useless, then,  isn't

it? Jedi Knights who won't fight? "

"Han, try to  understand. The  essence of the  dark side  is using  the

Force to control others. I know that temptation firsthand. If you  champion

that idea, you're thinking just as Palpatine and my father did-'I have  the

power, and it's mine to use as I wish. ' Do you want that to be the code we

live by? Should the Jedi rule the galaxy, simply because we can? "

"Well-now that you put it that way-"

"Good, " Luke said. "But then  understand that there's a price. When  a

Jedi renounces that path, it becomes very  hard to be a warrior, to lead  a

crusade. Obi-Wan and Yoda weren't afraid to fight, or to die. They felt the

suffering the Empire was causing just as acutely as any of us  did-probably

more so. I  wasn't stronger  than them, or  wiser. I  was raw,  headstrong,

reckless. But I had to be the one to challenge the Emperor-because I  still

could. "

Han frowned and cocked his head. "What about now? "

"Now? I don't know, " Luke said,  shaking his head. "I don't know if  I

could do it now. I don't know if I could summon the outrage. I feel  myself

standing on a dividing line, at a cusp. I don't know what I should be doing

with these  gifts-these  burdens.  It's  the question  I've  come  here  to

explore. "

"And you want to be left alone to do it. "

"I need to be, Han. Will you help Leia understand? "

"I can try, " Han said dubiously.

"I can't ask more than that. "

"Um-look, with everything you've said, I already know the answer. But I

gotta ask, so I can tell her I did. Leia wants your help with something. "

"I know. "

"She wants you to come  live with us for a  while. She needs help  with

the kids. "

"She thinks she does, " Luke said. "I'm sorry. I have to say no. "

"Okay, " Han Said with a shrug. "I had to ask. I guess she thought, you

know, family and all, maybe you could become a hermit next month instead of

this month. "

Luke stood. "She's important  to me, as are  the children, as are  you.

You know that. "

"Sure! "

"That's why my  answer is  no. It  has nothing  to do  with this  other

matter. "

"It doesn't? " Han asked, struggling to his feet.

"My sister Leia has all the talent and wisdom she needs to be not  only

the mother, but the model, your children  need, " Luke said. "She has  only

to believe in herself, and she'll find that nothing is beyond her. Which is

why the worst thing  I could do for  your family right now  is come to  her

rescue, to encourage her to look to  me to solve her problems. She'll  only

undercut her own authority with the children, and yours with it. They  must

learn their first and most important lessons from you. In that, they are no

different from any other children. "

Han pursed his lips as he considered Luke's answer.

"All right, " he said, offering his hand. "Good luck, Luke. I hope this

won't be the last time I see you. But you call us-we won't call you.  Okay,

buddy? "

Taking the offered hand, Luke looked intently into his visitor's eyes.

"Thank you, " he said, with a small but affectionate smile. "I couldn't

ask for a better friend than you, Han. "

As always, the open emotion made Han uncomfortable.

"You could ask, but  you don't deserve one,  " he wisecracked,  patting

Luke on the arm and then pulling away. He circled around Luke toward  where

the chamber's  entrance used  to be.  "You get  right to  work moving  that

mental furniture around,  or whatever it  is you hermits  do. I'll just  go

home and tell  Leia you've cracked  up--it'll be a  lot simpler. No,  don't

bother, I can find my  way out. I never have  seen a maze that couldn't  be

greatly simplified with a good blaster-"

The golden sheen of the droid's metal skin made a brilliant contrast to

the tangle of broad  green leaves and dangling  vines through which he  was

noisily making his way.

"Impossible! Such arrogance!  " the  droid said aloud  as he  struggled

with the thick growth, though he did not yet know there was an audience for

his thoughts. "For all  he listens to  me, you would think  that he is  the

protocol droid and I the astromech. "

Flailing his arms at a snarl  of branches blocking his way, the  golden

droid stopped and looked back  the way he had  come. "I hope the  stonebats

rip out your circuits and nest in your equipment bays, " he called into the

jungle. "I hope a kitehawk  drags you off to the  temples and feeds you  to

her kits. It would just serve you right. "

But when he turned back to consider his own plight, the droid found his

way  blocked  not  only  by  the  flora   of  Yavin  4,  but  by  a   tall,

broad-shouldered man in a military flight suit.

"Oh!  "  See-Threepio  exclaimed,  and  fell  back  a  step.   "General

Calrissian! You startled me, sir. Where did you come from? "

Lando grinned.  "With all  the  noise you  were  making, a  platoon  of

stormtroopers could have snuck  up and startled you.  Don't tell me  you're

still fighting  with Artoo  after all  this time.  You two  are worse  than

brothers. "

"That stubborn, contrary pile  of tin is no  brother to me, "  Threepio

said with stiff pride. "If I had been as carelessly constructed as he  was,

I would return myself to my maker to  be scrapped. In all my years, I  have

never met  another R  unit as  erratic and  egotistical as  Artoo-Detoo.  A

simple rebuild of the secondary power grid, and Artoo turns it into a major

project. I could give you a list of his operational anomalies as long as-"

"That will have to wait, " said Lando. "Right now you need to pack your

polish and power couplings. You're coming with me on a little trip. "

"Sir, I would be most delighted to accompany you. For all I care, Artoo

can fall in a mud  bog and rust away,  " Threepio said, extracting  himself

from the snarl of vines and circling a tree to join Lando. "But Master Luke

brought me here to manage the  administrative needs of the Academy, and  he

did not change those instructions before he left. "

"What did he say when he left? "

"Not a word to either of us, General Calrissian. He simply vanished  in

the night. I have not heard from him  or of him in nineteen local days.  Do

you have  news  of  Master  Luke,  sir?  Is  he  well?  Do  you  bring  new

instructions from him? "

Lando pursed  his  lips  and  considered. "Yes,  I  do,  Threepio,  new

instructions for the both of  you. Luke's fine, but  he's gone off on  some

sort of  retreat,  and he's  assigned  you to  the  Fleet Office  until  he

returns. And the Fleet Office has assigned you to me. "

If I could have found  Luke to ask him, I'm  sure the end result  would

have been the same, Lando told himself.

"I am glad to hear that Master Luke is well, General Calrissian. No one

has been able to tell me anything. And I will not miss Yavin Four. It is so

humid here that  my circuits are  always corroding. Look  at me-I can't  go

into the jungle without getting filthy. But must we take Artoo with us? "

"I'm afraid so,  old man, "  Lando said, patting  the droid's  metallic

shoulder. "But look at it this way-you only have to deal with Artoo. I have

to deal with the both of you. If I can cope, so can you. "

Threepio tipped his  head back,  and his  eyes flashed.  "Sir, I  don't

understand-"

"I'll explain later, " Lando said, glancing at his chrono. "Call  Artoo

in. We've got a deadline to beat, and this isn't our last stop. "

"I will have to inform Master Streen of our departure. "

"Already taken care of,  " Lando said, thinking  of a different set  of

lies he had just told to Streen. Still can't get used to being trusted-it's

better camouflage than I  thought. "Come on, tin  man, Lady Luck's  waiting

for US. "

Coppery clouds  rich  in oxides  of  Tibanna gas  churned  outside  the

viewpanes of what had once been Lando Calrissian's office in Bespin's Cloud

City. Inside as  outside, nothing had  changed since the  last time he  had

seen it.  The  walls and  shelves  were  heavily laden  with  the  eclectic

collection of objects  that only  a rich  man or  a well-traveled  smuggler

could amass.

"I like what you've done to the place, " Lando said to the cyborg  that

sat behind what had once been Lando's desk. "I guess I never did get around

to sending for my things, eh? "

"I don't mind, " said Lobot. The activity lights on the interface  band

he wore from ear to ear  were flickering busily. "You have better  judgment

in subjective matters  than I  do. The  calculus of  room decoration  still

eludes me. "

"Well-at least you have  the good taste to  recognize my good taste,  "

Lando said  with  a  grin.  "Still,  a  man  can  get  tired  of  the  same

surroundings day after  day, no matter  how splendid they  are. When's  the

last time you got yourself out of here for a while? "

"I go out  on inspection walks  twice a  day, " Lobot  said. "It  takes

ninety-seven days to complete an inspection schedule. "

"Let me put it another way. How  long has it been since you broke  your

connection to Cloud City? "

A puzzled expression flashed briefly across the cyborg's face. "I  have

never broken my connection to the administrative interface. "

"Just as I suspected, " Lando  said. "And exactly why I'm here.  Lobot,

you work too hard. You're long overdue for a change of scenery-a  vacation.

"

"How can I leave Cloud City without an administrator? "

"Lobot, I have a secret  to tell you-the people  who work for you  will

enjoy the novelty. "

Lobot frowned.  "But  systems  will randomize  without  monitoring  and

supervision. "

"Then think about how much fun you'll have putting them right when  you

get back, " Lando said. "And the  trip will do you good, too. Frankly,  you

could use a little practice in conversation. Am I still the only one around

here who knows you can talk? "

"Direct input is more efficient. "

"Efficiency is overrated, my friend, " Lando said, sitting back in  his

chair and crossing his legs,  ankle over knee. "Come  on, what do you  say?

Knowing how much you like to work, I cooked up a vacation where there'll be

plenty of work for you to do. "

"What sort of work? "

"I can't  tell  you unless  you  say yes,  "  Lando said,  tapping  the

insignia on his uniform. "I've got a temporary commission in my pocket, and

the security clearance to go with it.  All I can promise you is problems  a

lot more interesting  than the  ones you're working  on now.  And I  really

could use your help. It'll be like old times. "

Lobot stood, looking slowly about the room. "I'll trade you my help for

your things, "

"he said finally. "I want them to stay, for old times. "

"Why, you old horse trader, you. Who's been teaching you the art of the

finagle? "

"You did, " Lobot said. He closed his eyes and lowered his chin to  his

chest. The lights on his interface bar all flashed green, then all  flashed

red, then went dark.  Raising his head,  he opened his  eyes and looked  at

Lando. "It's too quiet. "

"Go ahead and leave a few channels open, then, " Lando said, standing.

"Bring with you whatever you need to be comfortable. "

A few scattered lights on Lobot's interface sprang back into activity.

"Better, " he  said. "Let's  go. What is  my rank?  What problems  need

solutions? "

"I'll tell you all about it on the way. "

The Teljkon task  force, seven vessels  in all, had  gathered in  orbit

around the sixth  planet of  the Coruscant system,  where it  would not  so

readily attract attention.  Lady Luck  was the last  to join  them and  the

smallest ship among them, save for a pilotless Intelligence ferret.

Lando's  yacht   was  dwarfed   by  Pakkpekatt's   command  ship,   the

cruiserGlorious .

"I don't like the looks of  that heavy artillery, " Lando said,  sizing

up the situation fromLady Luck's cockpit. "I thought we were being sent  to

outsmart our quarry, not outgun it. "

"The fact that the vagabond disabled  a frigate with apparent ease  may

have dictated the choice of a cruiser, " Lobot said.

"I'm sure it did, " Lando agreed. "I just don't like the way things are

shaping up.  "  He  reached for  the  comm  unit. "This  is  General  Lando

Calrissian aboard theLady Luck ,  hailing theGlorious . Request  permission

to come aboard. "

"General Calrissian,  sir,  " said  a  young-sounding voice.  "This  is

Lieutenant Harona, officer of the day. We've been expecting you, sir. Would

you like us to send out the captain's boat? "

"I'm afraid  there's been  some misunderstanding,  Lieutenant. I'm  not

looking for a ride in. I'm looking for parking space on your flight deck. "

There was a static-filled  pause, which ended  when Harona cleared  his

throat. "General Calrissian, I'm afraid  you're right, there has been  some

confusion. Our flight decks are filled  with mission gear and our own  baby

birds. There's no room forLady Luck inboard. "

"Then make  room, Lieutenant.  Unless you  were planning  for our  best

speed to be your convoy speed. "

Lando thumbed the mute switch and  added to Lobot, "Now we'll find  out

if they know how fast my little ship really is. "

The second pause was longer. "Sir, Colonel Pakkpekatt suggests that you

come aboardGlorious  and  let  a  relief crew  ferry  your  yacht  back  to

Coruscant. "

"Aha, " said Lando. "That tells me  that they've got it in their  minds

that I'm an observer. " He released the mute switch. "Lieutenant Harona, we

have our  own mission  gear aboard.  Do  I understand  you to  say  Colonel

Pakkpekatt is willing to hold here for another day or two while you set  up

secure  holdings  for  file  and  equipment  transfer?  If  so,  put   your

quartermaster on, and we'll start telling him what we'll need-"

"Uh, no, sir, that would not be the colonel's first choice. "

Lando winked  at Lobot.  Now I've  got them,  he thought.  "Lieutenant,

maybe I should just talk to Colonel Pakkpekatt directly. "

They could almost hear the OD squirming. "Sir, the colonel is very busy

at the moment with predeparture matters-"

"I'm sure he  is. Tell you  what, Lieutenant. I  can solve your  little

problem for you without disturbing the colonel. I see that your Number Five

external dock is open. You pull that cap and we'll hook on there. "

"General Calrissian, I'm very sorry, but I can't authorize that-"

"Then why are you  wasting my time, Lieutenant?  " Lando said  sharply.

"Go get your  senior officer and  put him on  the line. I  want to talk  to

someone who  can  make  a  decision.  And  when  we're  finished  with  our

business-which should  take  about two  minutes-I'm  going to  ask  him  to

conduct a review of his bridge procedures and staff. I want him to find out

why a flag officer and the Fleet Operations delegation to this mission were

kept waiting while the officer of the day thumbed through the manual for  a

regulation to follow. "

The subsequent silence  was the  longest yet. "Lady  Luck, Number  Five

External Hard Dock will be ready momentarily. Prepare for autodocking. "

"Thank you, Lieutenant, " said Lando. "Lady Luckout. "

"Well done,  sir, "  Threepio  gushed. "That  seems like  an  excellent

compromise. "

"Compromise, nothing.  I  got  what  I really  wanted,  "  Lando  said,

starting the autodocking sequence and climbing out of the pilot's seat.  "I

wasn't about to  give up my  ship, and I  didn't want it  locked up  inside

where I'd need their permission to use it. "

"Then you achieved all your objectives, " Lobot said.

"Oh, no. We're just beginning. Now we have to reeducate them about  our

role on this mission, " Lando said.  "Get ready to disembark. I'm going  to

need all of you on this. "

"Colonel Pakkpekatt, sir, General Calrissian to see you. " The ensign's

voice was a bit shrill with nervousness.

Lando guessed that he  had never been on  the combat bridge before,  or

had reason to speak to the mission commander-if he had seen him at all.

The ensign  had been  the first  member  of the  crew Lando  saw  after

ducking through the inner airlock of Number 5 Dock, and he had commandeered

the young technician to escort them to Colonel Pakkpekatt.

Lando was familiar with the  layout of the Belarus-class star  cruiser,

and could have hazarded a guess as to where Pakkpekatt could be found.  But

being escorted, with his entourage following  at his heels, allowed him  to

make an entrance.

Several heads swiveled  at the ensign's  announcement, but most  turned

immediately back to their  duties after taking in  the new arrivals with  a

glance.

The exception was a two-meter-tall Hortek, whose bony armor plates were

a ruddy brown in the bridge's combat lighting. His long neck twisted toward

the group standing  by the bridge's  aft blast door,  and the intense  gaze

from his unblinking eyes was nearly hypnotizing.

Curse you,  Drayson-you could  have  told me  he  was a  Hortek,  Lando

thought reflexively. But  after that  he guarded  his thoughts  as best  he

could. Besides being one of the  few predator species in the New  Republic,

the Hortek had the reputation of  being telepathic not only with their  own

kind, but, to an unknown degree, with a number of other species as well. It

was an intimidating combination.

"General, "  Pakkpekatt  said,  curtly acknowledging  Lando.  His  gaze

flicked to Lobot and the droids. "Who are these-people? "

C-3PO stepped forward  smartly. "Sir, I  am See-Threepio,  human-cyborg

relations. I am fluent in over six million-"

"Shut up, " Pakkpekatt said sharply.

"Yes, sir, " Threepio said, retreating behind Lobot.

Lando stepped forward. "Colonel  Pakkpekatt, this is  my staff. I'd  be

happy to make  introductions, but I  have some late  updates for you  which

perhaps ought to have our attention first. Is your ready room available? "

Pakkpekatt held his head high, studying Lando.

Reaching into my mind?  You and I  need to talk, and  no one else  here

needs to hear what we say.

Pakkpekatt lifted a hand in the direction of the ready room door.

"Captain, continue with preparations for departure, " he said.

The moment  the  door  wrapped privacy  around  them,  Pakkpekatt  drew

threateningly close to Lando.

"So, " he said,  "you're the man  who browbeat my  officer of the  day.

Don't expect to do the same to me. "

Lando smiled and opened up the distance between them again by  slipping

into a chair. "I wouldn't even try, Colonel, " he said, adopting a  relaxed

posture. "Nor would I  expect to need  to. We're here  with the same  goal,

working for the same people-Princess Leia, the Senate, the Republic. "

Pakkpekatt made  a sharp  barking  sound, the  Hortek equivalent  of  a

grunt. "I was told to wait for an observer from Fleet Command. Nothing  was

said about staff. "

"Why should anything need to be  said? Do you go anywhere without  your

aides? " asked Lando,  gesturing with both hands.  "My staff has  technical

expertise which very well may be the difference between success and failure

for this mission. "

"We have  five protocol  droids on  board,  all E  series or  newer,  "

Pakkpekatt said. "Yours are superfluous. "

"On the contrary, I consider my staff indispensable, " Lando said. "And

I expect  them to  be extended  every  consideration due  me as  the  Fleet

Office's field operative for this mission. "

Pakkpekatt moved closer, looming  over Lando. "Operative-now, that's  a

curious word, General. Were  you led to believe  that you'd have an  active

part in the conduct of the mission? "

"Were you led to believe otherwise? "

"I have been  assigned to  recover the Teljkon  vagabond, "  Pakkpekatt

said.  "I  have  no   instructions  about  sharing   my  command  or   that

responsibility with you. "

"I don't want  to share  your command, Colonel.  All I  want is  mutual

cooperation. After all, the Fleet Office's interests in this matter are  at

least equal to the Intelligence Service's interests, " Lando said. "We were

the ones who nearly lost a frigate to the vagabond. "

"This is an  extremely sensitive matter.  We have no  idea what we  may

find out there. "

"Colonel, if we  find anything of  value out there,  it's not going  to

belong to either one  of us, " Lando  said, flashing his best  conciliatory

smile. "Unless you simply don't trust  the Fleet Office, there's no  reason

we can't work together toward a common goal. "

Pakkpekatt loosed an eerie  chittering sound, which  caused a chill  to

run down Lando's back. "What are you asking? "

"No more than you  would. Run of  the ship. Full  and timely access  to

tactical data. Consultation  on strategy.  And if  and when  we board  her,

include us in. "

"Only that? "

"That's it. All other command prerogatives remain yours. "

"I see, " Pakkpekatt said.  "All we need do to  keep you happy is  take

you along on  the most sensitive  part of  the mission, and  one for  which

you're completely unprepared. "

"Now, Colonel--"

"Do you take me  for wounded prey? "  the Hortek demanded, showing  his

teeth. "We are prepared  to assemble an assault  team tailored to  whatever

challenges the vagabond presents. I am  not prepared to assemble one  based

on who thinks it would be fun to go along. "

"Do you have a lockpick? "

"What? "

"You said you're ready  for anything, " Lando  said. "But it's been  my

experience that when someone in uniform says that, he really means 'We have

little guns, we  have big guns,  we have bombs  of all sizes.  ' There  are

other ways to get past a  locked door. Are you as  ready to pick a lock  as

you are to blow one up? As ready to wheedle as you are to demand? As  ready

to coax as to capture? If not, you'd better think again about how ready you

really are. "

"My tactical team has over fifty years' intelligence experience-"

"Listen, Colonel, " Lando  said, coming to his  feet and thrusting  his

face close to the Hortek. "I'm sure you have good, solid veteran players on

your team. But  I've got  some ringers  on mine. I've  got a  human with  a

machine interface, a  droid with  a universal linguistic  interface, and  a

droid with a universal machine interface-"

"There is nothing special about your staff's abilities. "

"Maybe not in  the specs,  " said  Lando. "But  they know  how to  play

together, and they know how  to win. We beat Darth  Vader, and we beat  the

Emperor, on their turf and on their terms-"

"Ancient history. And you were lucky. "

Lando smiled. "Any gambler knows you don't bet against a lucky man.  If

you keep my players out of the game,  and you lose, you're going to have  a

hard time explaining that to the people who sent us out here. "

"A commander's burden. "

"I wouldn't  want yours  right  now, "  Lando said.  "Look,  Colonel-no

matter who or what's inside  the vagabond, we have  to be able to  outthink

them. Because if we  don't, we lose  both ways-if we  have to destroy  that

ship, or it has to destroy us. "

"I am very aware of that. "

Lando pointed toward the door. "Well, that's R2-D2 and C-3PO out there,

Luke Skywalker's personal  droids. And  Lobot and  I made  a living  making

fools of  Security and  Intelligence  in one  system after  another.  We've

beaten tricks your  people haven't even  thought of yet.  How sure are  you

that you don't want us on your team? "

Pakkpekatt's nostrils  flared.  Then  he bowed  his  neck,  the  Hortek

counterpart to a nod of agreement.

"Very well. We will work together. "

"Good. That's all I want, " Lando said.

"I do not believe that.  I know who you are,  " Pakkpekatt said with  a

menacing stiffness. "Do not think I do not. I will be watching you. "

Lando kept  his  mind clear.  "We're  going  to get  along  just  fine,

Colonel. You'll see. "

Chapter 5

On the morning of her first meeting with Nil Spaar, Leia climbed out of

bed with an aching shoulder,  tired eyes, and a  blanket of fatigue in  her

limbs that made her feel as though she was on the verge of being ill.

Anakin had awakened from a terrifying nightmare in the small hours, and

Leia had allowed him to climb into bed between her and Han in the hope that

it would help him sleep. But the unfamiliar presence of a third little body

had forced her into unnatural sleeping postures. Worse, Anakin had become a

restive sleeper, and she had found herself aware of his every move,  coming

fully awake time and again as he turned and squirmed beside her.

Han, Leia had been annoyed to discover, slept through it all, including

his own snoring.

Her grogginess  persisted through  breakfast. As  she dressed  for  her

meeting with the  viceroy of  the Duskhan  League, she  thought only  about

falling back into the now empty bed for  a nap. It was the kind of  morning

that sorely tempted her to break her  own rule about stimulants and take  a

cup of naris-bud tea or chew a stick of brightgum.

The temptation got stronger  once she reached  the final briefing.  The

conference room seemed  to be  full of bodies,  and everyone  seemed to  be

talking to her at once.

"Try to  get emergency  transit  and landing  rights on  a  provisional

basis, as a stepping-stone to full navigation rights. We've got members  in

Joruna and Idek, and it's a long way around for the freighters. "

"Almost everything we know about the Koor-nacht Cluster is thirty years

old. It was in Imperial hands from the time of the Clone Wars until shortly

after the Battle  of Endor. The  Empire didn't allow  anyone in,  and-until

now-the Yevetha haven't seemed interested in coming out. "

"As near as we  can tell, the Duskban  League only includes the  eleven

worlds populated  by the  Yevetha. We  believe that  there are  as many  as

seventeen worlds  in the  Koornacht Cluster  which are  populated by  other

species, and not part of the Duskhan League. But it hasn't been possible to

survey or contact them. "

"Intelligence hasn't been able to  find a single civilian pilot  who'll

admit having gone  into the  Koornacht Cluster. We've  gotten a  deposition

from one  of our  Imperial prisoners,  a former  bridge officer  on a  Star

Destroyer which he says  visited there on patrol.  It's pretty wild  stuff,

though, and nothing he says can be confirmed. "

"Mineral resources available for trade?  Isn't that information in  the

Duskhah application file? It's supposed to be. "

"There isn't any application. They're not applying for membership. It's

more like an audition-for us. Nil Spaar seems to think this is some sort of

summit meeting. He doesn't want to be called 'Ambassador, ' either. "

"Why doesn't Intelligence have better information for us? Where does  a

viceroy stand in the Duskhan power structure? "

"I don't think there's any question but that Nil Spaar represents  more

worlds, a larger population, greater  material riches, and a more  advanced

industrial-technological base than  anyone who's come  to Imperial City  in

the last twelve years. And he probably knows it, too. "

"Leia, from a  strategic standpoint, it  sure would be  nice to have  a

friend that big sitting between us and wherever Daala's gotten herself  to,

in the Core. Right now Koornacht is  one of the soft spots along the  Inner

Line. "

"Does anyone have any solid information on what he wants? "

"A link to the New Republic hypernet and the Coruscant information went

in the second day. His staff did  all the inside work, though. At least  we

know they couldn't just eavesdrop on the net. "

"Where's the technical analysis of the Duskhan embassy ship? "

"Does anyone  else think  that  the Yevetha  might  be related  to  the

Twi'lek? "

"Have you had a chance to  review the results of the Obra-skai  library

search? "

"Leia, are you all right? "

"Princess Leia? "

Shaking her head, Leia pushed herself  away from the table and  started

toward the door. Lightheadedness halted her steps halfway across the  room.

As she swayed unsteadily, Admiral Ackbar hastened to her side and took  her

arm.

"Help me to my office, " she whispered.

In the  privacy  of  the  president's suite,  one  floor  up  from  the

conference room, Ackbar helped Leia settle on a thickly padded couch.

"What is happening to you? " Ackbar asked. "Should I signal the medical

droid? " An MD-7,  a mobile droid specialized  for emergency medicine,  was

permanently assigned to the executive section.

"No. I'll be  all right. I  just want to  lie down for  a few  moments.

There was no air in that conference room. "

"You don't look well. Do you want to postpone? "

She  shook  her  head  almost  imperceptibly.  "No-no,  it  would  just

complicate things. There've  been too  many delays  already. I  got up  too

quickly, that's all. "

"Perhaps someone else should take over today's session-"

"No one else can, " Leia said sharply.

"Then someone should be in there with you. "

"Nil Spaar expects to meet  in private with the  Chief of State of  the

New Republic. That's  what he  insisted on. That's  what we  agreed to.  We

can't make  any  changes an  hour  before the  session-not  without  giving

offense, " Leia said, and closed her eyes. "Just go away and let me have  a

few minutes of  quiet. I'll  be ready  when the  time comes.  This isn't  a

crisis. Everything will be fine. "

In a subtle bit of choreography  arranged by the protocol attaches  for

both sides, Princess Leia Organa Solo,  president of the New Republic,  and

Nil Spaar,  viceroy of  the Duskhan  League, entered  the Grand  Hall  from

opposite sides at exactly the same moment.

Leia's strides were measured and steady.  She had spent the time  alone

in meditation, opening her connection to the Force and drawing on its deep,

powerful currents, allowing the  flow to cleanse and  refresh her body  and

mind. Doing so  meant surrendering  a bit of  her pride,  just as  drinking

naris-bud tea would have-an admission that she needed a crutch. But it left

her more ready to face the responsibility in front of her.

Nil Spaar matched her pace, stride  for stride. He was not an  imposing

figure, no  taller than  Leia, perhaps  even a  touch shorter  without  his

thick-soled,  block-heeled   boots.  His   eyes  were   strikingly   human,

distracting Leia at first from the high  ruff of bony armor at the back  of

his neck and the  bold streaks of facial  color that disappeared under  the

soft swirl of fabric  he wore on  his head. Nil Spaar's  gaze was open  and

friendly, his smile disarming.

The Yevethan was  dressed as  he had  been on  the streets  in all  the

surveillance recordings  Leia had  seen  in a  close-fitting,  long-sleeved

tunic with tan shoulders and a brown body, darker narrow-legged pants  that

tucked into his boots, and beige gloves that disappeared up the sleeves  of

his tunic. There was no sign of  jewelry or insignia save for the pin  that

held his head wrap in place. There  were no signifiers of rank or  station,

as she might expect on a uniform or ceremonial garment.

By unspoken agreement, each of them  stopped when the other was a  long

stride out of arm's reach.

"Viceroy, " Leia said, and bowed.

"Princess Leia, " Nil Spaar said, bowing  in turn. "I am so pleased  to

be here with you. This is how it should be. You, the head of a  confederacy

of worlds,  strong, proud,  proslerous-me,  the head  of a  confederacy  of

worlds, strong, proud, prosperous. You have welcomed me as an equal, and  I

welcome you in the same fashion. "

"Thank you, Viceroy.  Would you  like to  sit? "  Leia said,  gesturing

toward the two chairs,  each with a  small side table,  that rested in  the

middle of the room facing each other.

"By all means, " Nil Spaar said. His chair, provided and set up by  his

majordomo, was an  S of open  wire mesh. On  the table beside  it were  two

black cylinders with  feeding tubes. "We  should be able  to sit down  with

each other  and talk  honestly,  as statesmen  and patriots.  You  yourself

fought in the great rebellion against that black beast, Palpatine, did  you

not? "

"I got my knees and  elbows dirty a few times,  " Leia said. "But  many

others did far more than I."

"Such practiced  modesty!  But, here  again,  we can  hardly  help  but

understand each other, " said Nil Spaar.  "I had my own small part to  play

in reclaiming Koor-nacht from the pestilent  minions of the Emperor. So  we

both know what it means to take up  arms in a cause to which we pledge  our

lives and honor. Indeed, as we sit here this moment, I warrant we are  both

still answering the call to duty which honor imposes on us-is that not  so?

"

Leia did not want to  be led onto such  personal ground. "Life is  what

happens to you while you're busy making sensible plans-or so I've heard,  "

she said with a smile. "I  do what I can to  preserve that which I love.  I

don't know that that makes me any different from most of the people I meet.

"

"Ah, you are wiser than  your years, " said  Nil Spaar. "But of  course

you know that it is what you love which makes you stand apart. Yourself, of

course, and your  children, and  your mates-but  beyond that,  a circle  of

friends, a community of kin, and a collection of ideals. And so it is  with

me.  How  pleased  I  would  be,  if,  here,  away  from  interference  and

distraction, we should  be able  to forge  an alliance  which will  benefit

those we love. "

"That's  the  entire  purpose  of  the  New  Republic,  "  Leia   said,

sidestepping the word alliance  as if it were  quicksand. "I think that  if

you'll speak to the leaders of some of the hundred worlds which have become

members in the last  twenty-eight days, you'll hear  that the benefits  are

substantial and immediate. "

"I do  not doubt  it, "  said Nil  Spaar. "One  need only  look at  the

miracle of Coruscant. Was it not but half a dozen years ago that this world

was ravaged by the clone Emperor himself? "

"Yes-"

"And now I  find it  rebuilt from  its own ashes  to a  new glory  that

rivals the stories of  old, " Nil  Spaar said, his  tone admiring. "I  have

walked your  city for  hours on  end,  marveling at  the industry  of  your

people, the cleverness of your  inventions, the grandness of your  visions.

Such proud edifices you erect  out of hope and  clay. Such bold dreams  you

build on the ruins of past failure. "

"We do what  we can-what  we must,  " Leia said.  "I like  to think  of

Coruscant as a symbol of what's possible, a mirror in which we can see  our

best face. The vitality you've seen is a reflection of the vitality of  the

entire Republic. I  want Coruscant to  stand for the  idea that there's  an

alternative to war and tyranny.  Cooperation and tolerance-the best of  all

of us, available to all of us. "

"And there  are so  many of  you! I  am certain  I saw  more  different

species in  my first  hour here  than I  did in  my entire  previous  life.

Dozens, if not  a hundred,  " Nil  Spaar said. "How  does it  all work?  Is

membership political or genetic? "

"The New  Republic is  a mutual  self-protection pact  among over  four

hundred sentient  species,  and  an  economic  partnership  between  eleven

thousand inhabited worlds, " said Leia. "But you'll find that the  autonomy

of member worlds is hardly compromised at all-"

"So long as  they are  willing to be  cooperative and  tolerant, "  Nil

Spaar said.

"That goes without saying. "

"Perhaps  it  ought  not,  "  said   Nil  Spaar.  "It  might  lead   to

misunderstandings, and mistaken assumptions. "

Puzzled, Leia felt as though the ground had suddenly shifted under her.

"I don't think a legation has ever come to Coruscant expecting anything

else. "

"You would know better than I. But  you might find some came here  more

committed to getting Coruscant to fight their fights than to Leia  Organa's

ideals. The weak are  always looking for champions.  Are you certain  there

are none such hiding in your skirts? "

"If the weak can't  count on Coruscant's protection,  then there is  no

New Republic-only anarchy. And anarchy can only lead to more tyranny. "

"Well answered. "

"Thank you! "  said Leia. "But  since you raised  the issue, would  you

mind telling me why you and your legation are here? "

"Not at all. I think it important that there be no misunderstandings, "

Nil Spaar said. "As impressed as I  am with your ideas, your capital  city,

and your con federation, the Duskhah League is not interested in membership

in the  New  Republic. Not  collectively,  and not  as  individual  worlds.

Despite the fact that we submitted no application, you seem unclear on that

fact. "

"I think  the Duskhah  League would  be a  valuable member  of the  New

Republic, " Leia said. "I wasn't willing to dismiss the possibility without

talking to you. "

Nil Spaar smiled tolerantly. "You may dismiss it now-please. "

"Then what are you seeking here? "

"As I've already said, an alliance. An agreement between equals, to the

benefit of both. "

Frowning, Leia asked, "Viceroy,  are you concerned  that what you  call

the 'weak' members would be too much of a burden on you? "

"No. That is not an issue. "

"Very well, " Leia said.  "But I think you  should know right now  that

it'll be very hard for us to come to an 'agreement between equals'  that'll

allow us  to respond  militarily if  you're threatened.  The charter  under

which we operate allows for mutual defense and enforcement of the  articles

of membership-and that's all. "

"Truly, you  do  not  yet understand.  We  do  not want  or  need  your

protection, " Nil Spaar  said. "We enjoyed the  'protection' of the  Empire

for half my lifetime, and we are determined to avoid such blessings in  the

future. What we want more than anything  is to be left alone. Bear that  in

mind, and we may begin to speak the same language. "

At Leia's prodding,  Nil Spaar shared  with her some  of the  Yevetha's

experiences at the hands of Emperor Palpatine's generals and stormtroopers.

The stories were familiar enough in flavor, if not in detail.

The Imperial  governor of  Koornacht  had been  given  a free  hand  in

subduing the Yevetha. In his turn,  he had Yevetha women taken as  pleasure

slaves for  his  staff, and  Yevetha  men taken  as  live targets  for  his

troopers. The brutalized bodies were displayed in schools, at sacred sites,

and on the public information channels everyone was required to watch twice

a day.

When that  did  not produce  the  desired degree  of  cooperation,  the

Imperial governor had  children taken  instead. Dissent  crumbled, but  the

terror of random seizures continued. When the Imperial occupation army  was

finally driven from Koornacht, seven  thousand Yevetha hostages were  found

in the  governor's garrison-and  the bones  of more  than fifteen  thousand

dead.

"Enough, "  Leia said.  "Please. I'm  afraid we've  already  reawakened

enough nightmares. "

"I wanted you to understand the depth of our feelings in this. "

"I do, " said Leia. I may understand one of our own better now, too.

"Then let us turn our attention to the future, " Nil Spaar said.

For the next  hour, they  worked at teasing  out what  the language  of

alliance might sound  like. Despite  apparent good  faith, they  constantly

stumbled over  conflicting  assumptions, and  their  progress was  hard  to

measure. But at  midday, when the  viceroy gathered himself  and stood,  he

pronounced, "This has been valuable and  enjoyable. Shall we resume in  one

hour? "

"I'd be happy to continue through lunch, " Leia offered. "We could have

food brought to us. "

Nil Spaar looked momentarily shocked. "With all apologies, that is  not

possible, " he said.  "My people hold  it a great  affront to propriety  to

take food in mixed company. And I personally believe it foolish to dilute a

worship meal with distracting conversation. "

"My apologies, " Leia said, standing. "In an hour, then. "

"I look forward to it. "

The debriefing  session included  Leia, Admiral  Ackbar for  the  Fleet

Office, Admiral  Drayson  standing  in for  Intelligence  director  General

Rieekan, Behn-kihl  nahm  for the  Senate,  First Administrator  Engh,  two

recorder droids, and half a dozen senior aides.

Everyone listened  without interruption  as Leia  quickly recounted  as

much of her conversation with Nil Spaar as her memory would allow.

Then all had a chance to question Leia or offer their comments.

The comments were  largely predictable. Ackbar,  always thinking  about

strategic issues, was concerned that navigation rights hadn't come up  yet,

and wanted that issue given priority in the afternoon session.

Drayson, always looking to open intelligence channels, wondered how the

viceroy would  react  to  a  proposal to  revive  the  Intersystem  Library

Exchange, in which some of the Yevetha worlds had once participated.

Behn-kihl-nahm,  always  cognizant  of  the  ebb  and  flow  of  power,

questioned whether Leia  had the authority  to negotiate at  all without  a

pending application.

And Engh, always aware of the power of money to cement political bonds,

urged Leia to dangle the entire catalog of trade goods before Nil Spaar  as

an inducement to reconsider membership.

"After hearing your report, I expect them to insist that all trade into

and out of  Koornacht be on  Yevetha ships,  " Engh said.  "Fine for  their

traders, but not what ours are accustomed to. "

"I'm not sure  the Yevetha  are terribly  interested in  trade, "  said

Leia.

"Interesting, "  said  Drayson.  "If they  don't  want  membership  and

they're not interested in trade, why are they here? "

"I think they're here because the  New Republic has grown large  enough

and strong enough to begin to worry them, " Leia said. "They don't want  to

join us, but they don't want to be overrun by us, either. "

"How strong are they militarily? " Behn-kihl-nahm asked.

"I don't think we know, " said Drayson.

"Before the  Imperial  occupation,  there were  three  systems  in  the

Koornacht Cluster with  a Class Two  military rating, "  said Ackbar.  "But

that was before.  The Empire  may have seized  or destroyed  most of  those

vessels. "

"According to the viceroy,  it's been nine  years since the  occupation

ended, " said  Drayson. "At  this point,  I don't  think we  can guess  how

extensively they  may have  rearmed.  That ship  sitting over  at  Eastport

certainly testifies to their engineering abilities. "

"I don't think it matters, " Leia said. "There's no question in my mind

that they feel threatened by  us. I think it's  critical that we give  them

reason not to be. "

"If they  do  feel threatened,  that  should provide  you  with  useful

leverage, " said Behn-kihl-nahm.

"I'm not looking for leverage, " Leia said. "That's the wrong tone  for

these talks. The  Yevetha have good  reason to be  wary of us-reasons  that

everyone here ought  to be able  to identify  with. I don't  want to  twist

their arm. I want to win their trust.  It's not going to be quick or  easy.

But I think Nil Spaar and I have  a chance to develop the kind of  personal

rapport that will carry us  through the hard parts.  I don't know if  we're

going to end up with an alliance or an application for membership. But  I'm

not going to worry about that now. "

"Five minutes, " an aide called.

"Thank you, Alole. "

"Please-be very careful with your promises, Leia, " said Behn-kihl-nahm

as they  all rose.  "The  idea that  we  are all  equals,  in the  eyes  of

Coruscant, is very important to the strength of the New Republic. "

"I realize that, Chairman. "

"Then you  must  realize  that  if the  Yevetha  win  the  benefits  of

membership without the obligations,  there'll be an  uproar in the  Senate,

and in thousands of capitals. And if the Yevetha are granted privileges not

available to  our members,  you can  expect hundreds  of member  worlds  to

resign. "

"That won't happen,  " Leia said.  "I expect that  any treaty with  the

Yevetha will provide them with only a subset of the rights contained in the

articles of confederation-no open markets, no monetary controls, no dispute

resolution, no voice in the Senate, no military umbrella-"

"The presence of a shepherd is frequently undervalued in the absence of

a wolf, " said Behn-kihl-nahm.

"Maybe so, " Leia said.  "But there's a lot to  be gained by forging  a

link-any link, to start-with the Yevetha. The Senate will understand  that.

"

"Many a foolish notion has won  support in that body, "  Behn-kihl-nahm

said, "and many a falsehood has enjoyed currency in that room. Princess, no

matter how  much  we  want that  ally  on  the Inner  Line,  or  access  to

Koornacht's metals and the Yevetha's technology, we must always be aware of

the price. We are not the suitors-they are. "

"Thank you for your counsel, Chairman. "

"Remember that  Cortina and  Jandur  also came  here full  of  prideful

bluster, and both eventually signed the standard articles of confederation.

And that was long ago, when membership meant less than it does today. "

"Time! " called the aide.

Leia emptied  her  glass  quickly. "If  you'll  excuse  me,  Chairman-"

Behn-kihl-nahm nodded  and  backed away,  leaving  her alone  with  Admiral

Drayson and a recording droid.

"End recording, " said  Drayson. A black droid  controller was all  but

concealed in his hand. "Princess, may I have a moment? "

"A moment, but not much more. "

"I'm concerned about the process, about the fact that all your advisers

must rely on secondhand reports. It makes it difficult for them to  provide

you with the independent counsel you expect from them. "

"What are you suggesting? "

"That I arrange for more  eyes and ears in the  room with you. I  could

provide you  with  a  burst-transmission comlink  small  enough  that  even

General Solo would be hard pressed to find it. "

"I don't expect to be frisked by the viceroy, " Leia said curtly.  "And

you can't promise me the comlink  would be undetectable by the  Yevetha-can

you? If we can listen in, in theory so can they. "

"Quite true, " said  Drayson. "Technical assets  are always subject  to

discovery. Of  course,  if  they  were  covertly  monitoring  the  sessions

themselves, they wouldn't be likely to-"

"Do you have evidence that they are? "

"No. But  sometimes I  find it  more prudent  to assume  what's not  in

evidence than believe that what I can't see isn't there. "

"Admiral  Drayson,  I'm  afraid  I  don't  understand  that   thinking.

Especially in this instance. "

"Time, Princess Leia, " called Alole,  peering back into the room  from

the corridor.

"Coming, "  Leia called.  "No  'technical assets'  in the  Grand  Hall,

General. We'll have  to make do  with my eyes  and ears. I  won't take  the

chance of confirming their worst fears by being caught spying.  Understood?

"

"Of course, Princess. "

The Yevethan ground skimmer that picked  up Nil Spaar in the bowels  of

the Imperial City administrative complex discharged him a few minutes later

in the bowels of the embassy shipAramadia .

There was no one there to greet him, but that was no surprise. Nor  was

the fact that the driver waited inside  the skimmer for Nil Spaar to  climb

out on his own  and walk the few  steps to the airtight  exit hatch on  the

front wall. As  soon as the  hatch closed  behind him, a  thick yellow  gas

began to fill the chamber where the skimmer hovered.

Shortly afterward  a scalding  spray poured  down on  the skimmer  from

thousands of tiny jets, chasing the yellow mist down vents and drains.

Behind the hatch, Nil Spaar found himself in a sanitary entry station.

The drill had already  become familiar to him,  but that day there  was

more urgency to his motions. Quickly  removing his clothing, he dropped  it

into a sterile  incinerator. There was  a reassuring pop  and hiss when  he

sealed the loading chute.

The face of the incinerator grew warm to the touch.

Then Nil Spaar stepped into the scrub chamber.

With eyes closed, he invoked the needle-spray showers-first the  gentle

rain of the fumigant, then the agonizing bite of the scrub jets.

As  the  water  pelted  his  body,  his  expression  softened  to   one

approaching bliss. He lingered in  the scrub chamber, willingly enduring  a

second cycle of  cleansing. Then he  passed through the  inner door,  where

waiting hands draped his body in a fire-blue gown.

"Viceroy, " the attache said, bowing.

"Thank you,  Eri,  " he  said,  accepting the  heavy  silver  viceroy's

neckguard and fastening  it in  place. "I  must resign  myself to  it-their

stink never leaves  my nostrils, no  matter how  long I stay  in the  scrub

chamber. "

"You carry no taint to my senses, " Eri said.

"I will trust that is more than  politeness, " said Nil Spaar. "Is  Vor

Duull expecting me? "

"Yes, Viceroy. "

"Good. See  that  abstracts of  today's  reports and  examinations  are

waiting for me in my quarters. I'll be there shortly. "

An aircart whisked  him up eleven  levels to the  domain of Vor  Duull,

proctor of information science for theAramadia . Nil Spaar was greeted with

a quick bow. "Welcome back, Viceroy. "

"More welcome for me than for any of you, " he said. "Were you able  to

receive a signal? "

"Without interruption, " Vor Duull said. "A recording was made per your

instructions and placed in your library. "

"Did you watch? "

"Only enough to  make certain  that the decoders  and stabilizers  were

functioning. "

Nil Spaar nodded. "What do you think of them? "

When Vor Duull hesitated, the viceroy prodded, "Go on, I excuse you. "

"They seem to me  weak, gullible-eager to please.  She is no match  for

you. "

"We shall see,  " Nil Spaar  said. "Thank you,  Proctor. Continue  your

fine work. "

The aircart carried him  swiftly up the central  spiral of the ship  to

the third level, above which only  command personnel could go. He  accepted

the salutes of the honor guard and a kiss from his darna, then  disappeared

behind locked doors.

In the privacy of his quarters, Nil Spaar sat in front of a cryptocomm.

His brief message was beamed to N'zoth, capital of the Duskhan  League,

as a  scrambled string  of bits  mixed  into the  stream of  ordinary  open

dispatches.

"I have had my first meeting with the vermin, " Nil Spaar said. "All is

going well. "

The datacard Admiral Hiram Drayson dropped into the datapad on his desk

looked for all the world like a standard Universal Data Exchange card.  But

the cards  used  by  Alpha  Blue for  sensitive  data  used  a  nonstandard

encoding, which  made the  card  appear blank  when  placed in  a  standard

datapad.

The little  plastic rectangle  could even  be erased  and  re-formatted

without destroying the information  it bore-in this  case, excerpts from  a

recording made earlier that day by a tiny audio telescope concealed in  the

ornate scrollwork on the ceiling of the Grand Hall.

The excerpts had been  selected for Drayson by  an Alpha Blue  analysis

droid, using sophisticated context-processing protocols.

Tipping back  in his  chair and  folding his  hands over  his  abdomen,

Drayson listened to the recording that no other sentient had heard-or would

hear, unless he chose to share it with them.

He listened as Princess Leia said,  "I want Coruscant to stand for  the

idea that  there's  an alternative  to  war and  tyranny.  Cooperation  and

tolerance-the best of all of us, available to all of us. "

He listened as Viceroy  Nil Spaar said,  "We do not  want or need  your

protection. We enjoyed the 'protection' of the Empire for half my lifetime,

and we are determined to avoid such blessings in the future. "

And he thought as he listened, I wish that you'd chosen to let us  into

that room with you,  Princess. But I'll  do all I can  to make certain  you

don't look back on that choice with regret.

Chapter 6

Inside the protective cocoon of Luke Skywalker's secret hermitage, time

had no meaning.

To be sure, the elemental cycle of day and night was echoed in the  ebb

and flow of the Force,  as the living web  of Coruscant stirred and  slept,

fought and foraged. The turning of the seasons was a longer, slower rhythm,

an almost imperceptible crescendo and decrescendo of vitality and dormancy,

fecundity and death.

Beyond that, a mere whisper,  lay the almost unimaginably deep,  subtle

echo that was the birth of stars, the creation and extinction of life,  the

blossoming of consciousness.  Deep in meditation,  profoundly connected  to

the mysteries of the Force, Luke could see that through the  manifestations

of life, the universe knew itself, and beheld its own wonders.

But to extend himself that far, and reach that degree of oneness,  Luke

found it necessary to  let go of  his everyday senses to  a degree he  once

would have thought impossible.

Sealed behind opaque walls,  he lived in darkness  for days at a  time,

barely conscious  of  hunger, thirst,  or  other bodily  demands.  He  wore

clothing only  out of  habit,  but the  habit  weakened. The  winds  howled

outside the hermitage, but Luke was oblivious to them.

He took no notice of  the sun or moons in  their courses, the rise  and

fall of the tide, the ever-changing sky painted in light and cloud.

The sea began to  freeze, as the northern  hemisphere slid deeper  into

Coruscant's short winter. Over a period  of many days, the rocks and  beach

were draped with a heavy  crust of sculpted ice.  But the sight would  have

surprised Luke, had it mattered enough to him to seek it out.

Even Leia had stopped reaching out  for him, though more in anger  than

in understanding. The result mattered more to him than the reason.

His solitude was complete, timeless and undisturbed.

Then a visitor came, and everything changed.

It was  his ordinary  senses, reawakened,  which informed  Luke of  the

visitor's presence. First,  a sound, which  he later realized  was his  own

name.

At that point,  it had  been many  days since  he had  spoken, or  even

thought in words.

He concentrated. "Lights, medium. "

The meditation chamber reappeared around him.

Sight told him that a woman stood in the chamber with him, half a dozen

steps away. Her  shoulders were bare,  her throat covered  by a long  scarf

that vanished down her  back. Her hair was  long and braided, her  clothing

soft and flattering. Her eyes were dark, intent, and knowing.

He took her at first for a projection, because it was unthinkable  that

anyone could have passed through  the walls, his screens, without  alerting

him. But then  he touched her  bare arm, and  touch told him  her skin  was

real, and  warm. He  circled her,  and scent  told him  of salt  air,  dead

quarrelgrass crushed underfoot,  a body bathed  in flowers, a  hint of  the

taint of the old oils and clinging vapors that hung on one's person after a

long flight.

"Explain yourself, "  he said when  he had circled  around to face  her

again.

"You are him. You  are Luke, son  to Anakin. "  She smiled with  bright

delight. "Forgive me. I thought I would  never find you. It must have  been

the working when you  built this place  that I felt. That  was what led  me

here. "

"You felt what I did? From where? "

"From Carratos, " she said, naming  a planet in a system forty  parsecs

from Coruscant.

As rudely  as his  visitor  had invaded  his hermitage,  Luke  suddenly

invaded her mind, probing the secret  place where sensitivity to the  Force

resided. If she possessed the sort of talent her words claimed for her,  he

should be thrown halfway across the  room when the ancient reflex  repelled

his mental touch. It was so with every Jedi he had probed, every  candidate

he had brought to Yavin for training.

Luke's probing  met  no resistance.  He  felt no  shields  blunting  or

deflecting his  examination.  Her  mind  was  open-and  yet  there  was  no

reflexive response.  So sure  was he  of that  test that  he wouldn't  have

considered her for a moment as a candidate for the academy.

But, still, she had  found him. She had,  somehow, entered a space  she

should not have been able to enter  unless her gifts in the Force were  the

equal of his.

"Who are you? " he asked wonderingly.

She laughed. "Forgive me. I am  Akanah, of the Fallanassi, an adept  of

the White Current. "

"I'm afraid I don't know your people, or that path, " he said.

"I know,  "  she said.  "You  won't find  us  in your  census,  or  the

Emperor's, or the Old Republic's. It's not our way to claim lands and raise

flags, or stand queue to be counted. But you should know us. That's part of

why I've come. "

His brows  showed puzzlement.  "If your  people are  such ciphers,  why

should I know you? "

"Because your mother  is one  of us,  Luke Skywalker.  Because you  are

bound to us through her. "

Luke stared. "My mother? How can-do  you-what do you mean, 'is' one  of

us? Leia told me my mother is dead. "

"Yes-I know. As Obi-Wan told you that your father was dead. "

"Are you saying my mother might be alive? "

"I don't know,  " said Akanah,  suddenly sad-eyed. "Who  saw her  fall?

Where is her grave? I wish I  could answer your question. But I don't  even

know my own mother's fate. I've been  separated from the body of my  people

for too many years. "

"Separated? Why? "

"I was away when the Empire came to the world we called home then.  The

Fallanassi had to take  flight, because they would  not let themselves  and

their gifts be used for violence and evil. I don't blame them. I know  they

must have waited for me as long as they could. That was nineteen years ago.

I was twelve-not much more than a child. "

"And you never found them  again? " There was  a touch of suspicion  in

Luke's voice. "You found me. "

She smiled tolerantly.  "The Fallanassi  are more  practiced at  hiding

than you are, Luke Skywalker. And  there isn't much an abandoned child  can

do in the middle of a  war to search for a  family that doesn't want to  be

found. "

"I suppose not, " he said slowly.

"It wasn't until the Emperor was overthrown that I could even think  of

looking-I was too afraid I would betray them. And even then, it's hard  for

a young woman on Carratos to become wealthy enough to leave it.  Especially

to leave in her own ship, owing and answering to no one. "

"So you're looking for them  now. And you say  my mother could be  with

them. " He shook his  head. "My mother-she's been such  a mystery to me  my

whole life that  I can't let  myself believe  you know anything  of her.  I

don't even know her name. "

"She may have had other names, " Akanah said. "Many of us do. But among

the body, she is known  as Nashira. It is a  star-name, and thought a  high

honor. "

"Nashira, " Luke echoed in a whisper.

"Yes, " she said.  "Luke, I know that  there's an emptiness inside  you

where memories of your  mother should be, a  weakness where what she  would

have taught you would have strengthened you. "

"Yes-"

"There's an emptiness in my life, too, and for the same lack. I've come

here to ask you to go away with me, and help me find our people, so you and

I can both be whole again. "

"I don't think I've ever been whole, " said Luke, turning his face from

her. "The pieces of my life were scattered  by a storm before I ever had  a

chance to  tackle  the  puzzle.  And every  missing  piece  that  turns  up

completely changes the  picture. I was  alone, and then  there was  Leia-my

sister. I was an orphan, and then there was Anakin-Vader-my father. "

He laughed to himself. "I  wanted to go to school  just to get off  the

farm, and then my father's mentor came to me, and taught me the secrets  of

a power I didn't  know I had. I  was the adopted son  of a moisture  farmer

living next  door  to  nowhere,  and  then  there  was  a  lightsaber,  and

enemies-the most powerful men in the galaxy-who wanted me dead. "

Luke turned and looked back  at Akanah. "I don't  know if I'm ready  to

redraw the picture again. Maybe that's what keeps me from believing you.  I

want to know  my mother.  You're right  about that.  But maybe  I'm just  a

little bit afraid to. And  that's a feeling that I  haven't felt in a  long

time. "

"I knew when I came here that this would be a great shock, " she  said.

"But you must reclaim this piece of what you are. "

"I don't know who you are, "  Luke said stubbornly. "I don't know  that

anything you've said is true. "

"Then I  will tell  you some  things that  you know  are true,  "  said

Akanah. "Your father was lost to the dark side, and you were forced to  try

to kill him. You were nearly lost to the darkness yourself. That must weigh

heavily on you-wondering if you carry his weakness. "

"I've faced that test, " Luke said defensively.

"And would you have survived it without Leia? "

Luke Skywalker had no answer for that question.

"Perhaps that  is why  you cannot  let yourself  love without  fear,  "

Akanah said softly. "Perhaps that is why you have no children of your  own.

You must  fear  that you  will  repeat  your family's  tragedy  in  another

generation. You must fear that someday you will find yourself ready to kill

your own son, and him ready to kill you. "

"NO-"

"You must fear yourself. How could you not? How could anyone, if he had

walked your path?  The bond  that links  you to  all the  horrors of  Darth

Vader's reign is  a terrible burden.  Is that  not why you're  here? "  she

asked pointedly. "Isn't that  the meaning of this  structure? You may  have

forgiven Anakin Skywalker-but you know the Republic can never forgive Vader

for his crimes in the service of Palpatine. "

Luke was beyond denial. "How do you know all this? " he asked hoarsely.

"I've studied you-before I came here, and since. Hero of the Rebellion,

Jedi Master, defender of  the Republic, " she  said. "Even on Carratos,  we

hear all the stories. And I saw in them all the things I've said to you. "

Turning half away from her, Luke shook his head.

"No. That can't be. I've voiced those fears to no one. No one. "

Akanah glided closer. "They're written in  your eyes, and lie heavy  on

your spirit. You'd  see them yourself,  but for the  blindness we all  have

when we  look  in a  mirror,  " she  said.  "But remember  this,  Luke-your

strength in the Force did not come  only from your father. The gift of  the

Light came from your mother-and your mother  was of my people. That is  why

your heart is telling you you must come with me. "

Their eyes met.  Luke felt her  gaze like  a light cast  into the  dark

corners of his psyche. Her voice disarmed him. Her words unveiled him.  She

had taken down  all his shields,  and he was  defenseless against her,  his

mind wholly open to her. But it was a strangely safe feeling.

She already knew his most unthinkable thoughts, and still she held  her

hand out to him.

"Test me, if you must, " Akanah said.

"No, " he said. "It's not necessary. "

"I will wait  here, if you  want to  return to Yavin  for your  testing

equipment, " she offered. "But I  can tell you what you would  see-nothing.

The White Current is not  the Force you know,  only with a different  name.

But it is a manifestation of the All. I will teach you what I can. "

"You assume a great deal. "

"I speak from hope only. Will you come with me, Luke Skywalker? "

"I don't know, " he said. "There's something I must do first-someone  I

need to tell. "

"Leia. "

"Yes. Is there any reason I shouldn't? "

"No reason, " she said, and smiled.  "You said it was not necessary  to

test me. But that question-"

"You're right, " Luke agreed. "If you'd  said, 'No, this has to be  our

secret, ' I would've doubted you. But  there's another reason I have to  do

this. I have no  memories of my mother.  Leia has but a  few, no more  than

glimpses touched by emotion. "

"There are  more memories  there. Nashira  was protected,  just as  you

were. "

"I can believe that. But what you've  already told me may be enough  to

unlock any hidden doors, allow me to probe her mind with more success  than

I've had in  the past. And  to find  another few glimpses  of her  here"-he

touched his temple  with his fingertips-"would  mean a great  deal. If  you

could tell me even more-"

"I'm sorry.  " Akanah's  sudden smile  was touched  by humor.  "Fifteen

years ago, you  weren't important-just  Fallanassi gossip. If  I had  known

what was to come, I would have paid more attention. "

He laughed. "Will you wait here while I go see Leia? "

"Of course, " she said. "I've waited long enough for this night. I  can

wait a little longer for our journey to begin. "

Luke's flight suit  felt strange on  his body, both  too loose and  too

confining. The E-wing looked like an inert sculpture in its hangar, covered

by a fine, pale coating of dust that had fallen out of the still air.

"Artee, " Luke said. "Exit standby mode. "

Almost instantly several lights of different colors glowed on the  dome

and faceplates of the astromech droid. A moment later it gave an  answering

chirrup.

"Preflight the ship, " Luke said,  starting his own quick but  thorough

inspection.

The droid whistled,  and Luke glanced  down at the  display bar on  his

flight suit.

"Yes, you can stop monitoring the house systems, " Luke said.

R7-TI's response had the stridency of an alarm.

"Yes, I know there's someone in  the house, " Luke said, ducking  under

the left wing.  "Just leave  some lights on  and the  upper passways  open.

She'll be fine. "

The E-wing passed both Artee's and Luke's checks with flying colors.

Both the design and  the example before Luke  were relatively new,  far

more able and robust than  the T-65 X-wing he  had flown against the  first

Death Star at Yavin.  And the E-wing  he was about to  climb into had  been

overhauled to factory-new condition after its last taste of combat.

Still, he hesitated.

Technically, the E-wing was  on loan to the  Jedi academy for  training

purposes, but only because  there was no  provision in the  quartermaster's

regulations for loaning a front-line starfighter to a civilian. Ackbar  had

persuaded him that,  given the unpredictability  of life, it  was far  more

sensible for him  to have  a fully  armed E-wing  at his  disposal than  an

unarmed sprint, ketch, or runabout.

"Think of  yourself  as a  member  of  the Republic's  militia.  And  a

militiaman should have  his weapon at  home with  him, in the  event he  is

called on again, " Ackbar had said.

Luke had accepted that argument  reluctantly. But in the months  before

he returned to Coruscant, he had become more and more uncomfortable in  the

E-wing's cockpit.  It  was  a  heavily armed  killer,  anIntimidator  ,  an

unspoken threat wherever it appeared. As such, it represented a part of his

life that he was trying to leave behind.

His X-wing  had  fit him  like  a second  skin,  like an  extension  of

himself. He had taken joy in flying  it, even in battle. But that had  been

another, younger Luke. The E-wing  was different. It was an  embarrassment,

an ugly set of clothes  he was forced to wear  when he went out in  public.

And  he  missed  the  familiar  presence  of  Artoo,  who  simply  did  not

fit-physically or electronically-in the E-wing's R7 astromech interface.

One last time, he thought. Then maybe they'll let me give it back.

"Open the canopy, Artee, " he  said, and directed his concentration  at

the hangar's front wall. Seams appeared in the unbroken expanse of  silicon

and quartz crystal, and the wall opened on hinges that had not existed just

moments before. Bitter air filled the hangar as the wind screamed past  the

opening.

In the absence of a boarding ladder, Luke leaped lightly to the edge of

the open  cockpit and  clambered in.  As  the canopy  closed over  him,  he

pictured in his mind the E-wing hovering a few hands above the hangar  door

and  gliding  silently  out  into  the   night.  As  he  pictured  it,   it

happened-except that the silence was broken by Artee's insistent squawking.

There was no explaining to the rigid-minded astromech that hovering with no

engines did not necessarily represent an emergency.

"Power up engines, " Luke said.

Artee cooed in relief and complied.

Luke climbed out from the hermitage in a widening spiral, scanning  the

ground for further clues about his visitor. As he passed over the cliff for

the second time, he spotted her ship-an elderly Verpine Adventurer--resting

a hundred meters back from the precipice.

I can't  believe  I  didn't  hear  that  clunker  coming,  he  thought.

Pre-Empire, lifting body design,  hoverjets for atmospheric  mode--Memories

stirred, crossed, linked. He heard Leia's impudent voice saying, "You  came

here in that thing? You're  braver than I thought.  " That had been  aboard

the Death Star, the first time they'd met-when he'd seen himself rescuing a

princess, not a long-lost sister.

A long time ago.

Luke pulled the stick hard over,  and the E-wing wheeled nimbly  toward

Imperial City. With a thought  directed ahead of him,  he let Leia know  he

was coming.

For now, he kept the reason to himself.

He did  not  see Akanah  watching  from  the tower,  her  hopeful  gaze

following the track of the engine  exhausts as the E-wing disappeared  into

the night.

Without warning  Leia  sat bolt  upright  in her  bed,  breaking  Han's

embrace.

"What is it now? " he asked plaintively.

"He's coming here tonight. "

"Who is? "

"Luke. " She threw back the soft coppery sheet and climbed out of  bed.

"He's coming to see us. "

"How do you know? "

"I heard  his  voice.  You know,  what  you  fondly refer  to  as  that

semi-mystical twin thing? "

"Well-he's not ringing the doorbell  yet, " Han said hopefully.  "It'll

take him a while to get here. "

Leia seemed not to hear him. "It's about time. All I have to do is tell

him about the way the kids were today-that'll give him the whole catalog of

problems. "

"Are you sure that's why he's coming? "

"He said he needed to talk to me about family matters. "

"I dunno, Leia-the kids aren't the only family you two have, " he said,

trying to dislodge her from her certainty without revealing where Luke  was

living. "Isn't it more likely to be something about your father? "

"Why do you say that? "

"I kind of got  the impression he's still  having trouble with some  of

that. "

"What? No, that's silly, " Leia said dismissively. "Why should he  feel

guilty about what Father did under the control of the Emperor and the  dark

side? Luke forgave Father at Endor. You were there-you saw. "

Han frowned. "Well-maybe it didn't turn out to be that simple for Luke.

After all, a few billion people around the galaxy are still pretty  unhappy

with dear old Dad. "

"You don't have to remind me about that, " said Leia, shrugging into  a

white robe and tying the sash  in a bow. "But I'm  the one who has to  deal

with it,  not Luke.  I'm  the one  who gets  accused  and screamed  at  and

threatened, not Luke. And I'm handling it. "

As she  was speaking,  she  moved toward  the  bedroom door.  When  she

reached  it,  she  stopped  and  turned  back  toward  Han,  still  sitting

bare-chested on the bed in a jumble of sheets. "No, I'm sure you're  wrong.

That's not why Luke's coming here. He seemed--excited. Almost happy. "

Han surrendered. "All right. Whatever you say. Where are you going? "

"I've been keeping notes on  the children. I want  to bring them up  to

date before Luke  arrives. " She  threw him a  quick smile and  disappeared

through the doorway.

"I guess we're done here, then, " he said to himself.

Sighing, he climbed out of bed. "I've got a bad feeling about this. Oh,

yes, I do. "

Even in the middle of the night, it wasn't possible for Luke  Skywalker

to make a quiet visit to the Chief of State of the New Republic. The entire

area  surrounding  the  president's  residence  was  secured  airspace  and

protected by its own  local shield generator. That  ruled out a  convenient

landing right on the grounds, or even close by.

Instead, Luke was  directed to  land his E-wing  on a  military pad  at

Eastport. Even before he could climb out of the cockpit, a sizable crowd of

ground crew  and  other  port workers  gathered  at  the pad.  But  it  was

different from the kind of crowds Han still drew. Everyone hung back,  even

after Luke jumped down from the cockpit to the tarmac.

It was as though they couldn't pass  up a chance to see Luke  Skywalker

but were too intimidated by  his status to risk  trying to shake his  hand,

clap him on the back, or even speak to him. He felt less a celebrity than a

curiosity, more a dead legend than a living hero.

Luke wished they would all  just go away. He  had no interest in  being

celebrity or curiosity, legend or hero.

"Security Protocol One, Artee,  " he said. As  the E-wing's canopy  and

engine intake covers closed, Luke strode toward the airspeeder waiting  for

him just outside the landing circle. The crowd parted for him in silence.

But their excitement buffeted him, and their ambivalence tore at him.

He heard them whispering to each other, read their faces, and he filled

in the rest.

Children-you'll never guess who I saw at the port tonight--He's here?

What did he say? How did he seem?

Where did he go? I wonder what it means.

The airspeeder was a standard government model, with a speed  governor,

an altitude limiter, and a pilot droid at the controls. To Luke, it was  as

welcome a sight as an escape pod on a doomed ship.

"President's residence,  north  entrance, "  Luke  said. He  seemed  so

serious-So mysterious--He floated to the ground like a leaf-He was as close

to me as I am to you-He smiled at me--

"I never  thought I'd  have a  chance  to meet  him-You can  tell  just

looking at him that he's a Jedi--You can tell just looking at him what he's

been through--Luke closed his eyes in relief as the airspeeder took flight.

While they were waiting for Luke, Han had lingered in the front  rooms,

thinking that he might be able to get to his friend first and warn him what

his sister was  expecting. But  when the  signal from  the north  gatehouse

finally came, Leia was past Han and out the door before he knew it.

"Let him in, "  Han told the gate  guard resignedly, and hurried  after

his wife.

He caught up just as Leia and Luke met on the north garden trail.

"Leia, " Luke said with a warm smile, and they embraced.

"I knew you'd come, "  Leia said, kissing him  on the cheek and  taking

his arm. "I knew you'd change your mind. I can't tell you how glad I am  to

see you. How long can you stay? "

"We have some work to do together, " Luke said.

"I don't know how  long it will  take. And then I  have some things  to

tell you. Hello, Han. "  Luke clapped the taller man  on the back with  his

free hand. "It's good to see you again. "

"You don't know the half of it, kid, " Han said wryly.

"Come on-let's go inside,  " Leia said. "Did  they make you leave  your

bag at the gatehouse? That's so foolish  of them--"I didn't bring a bag,  "

Luke said. "I didn't plan on staying. But  if it's too late for you, I  can

pass the night out here, and we can work in the morning. I've always  liked

these gardens. "

Leia stopped, turning toward Luke and frowning.

"I think  I've  missed something  here,  she said.  "The  children  are

sleeping-at last-so we couldn't  start work until  morning anyway. But  I'm

sure it's going to take days, more likely weeks, to make any progress. "

"Leia. I haven't  come to train  the children. Didn't  Han tell you  my

feelings on that? "

"I told her, " Han said.

"Han told me you said it was my problem, " Leia said. "And that was  so

unlike you that I was sure he'd gotten it wrong. "

Luke shook  his head.  "It suffers  a bit  for being  condensed, but  I

suppose the kernel is still there, " he said. "Leia, there's nothing I  can

do right now that won't make your lives and theirs harder in the long  run.

I've meditated  on  this for  a  long time.  I'm  sure this  is  the  right

decision. "

"Then-you came here  because you  want something? Not  because we  need

help? "

"I'm here because I may have some new information about our mother. "

Han was startled by Luke's words, but,  so far as he could see,  Leia's

expression didn't waver or soften in the slightest. "What new  information?

" she asked. "Where does it come from? "

"I don't want to tell you yet, " Luke said. "I'm hoping that you'll let

me probe your mind again first. I have an idea what to look for now. "

Her body language foretold her answer. She held herself back from  him,

arms wrapped around herself, her mouth hard, her eyes darting, angry.

"No, " she  said. "Go  back to  wherever you  came from.  " She  turned

abruptly and started back toward the residence.

"Leia-" Han said, reaching for her as she neared where he stood.

She eluded his touch with a twist and a sidestep.

"And you, if you take his side, you can go with him. "

"Leia-" Han's tone was plaintive now, and it had no effect. In moments,

the two men were alone on the path.

"I thought I was just out of practice flying, " Luke said with a sigh.

"For what it's  worth, kid, she  had kind of  a hard day,  " Han  said.

"Leia's been  negotiating with  the same  guy  for a  month now,  and  it's

starting to drive her nuts. And I don't know how they do it, but the  twins

seem to know when she's  not up to dealing with  them, and really push  the

limits. "

"If she'd just draw on the Force, " Luke said, shaking his head.  "It's

inexhaustible. "

"Well-she's not. For whatever reason. I guess you'd better come back. "

"No, " Luke said.  "I'm going to  talk to her. She  has to realize  how

important this is to both of us. "

"Kid, I can't recommend it-"

"It'll be all right, " Luke said, and started up the path.

The valet  droid helpfully  told  Luke that  Leia  was in  the  private

kitchen. He found her sitting  on a stool at the  meal bar, cupping a  tall

glass in both hands and staring out the window with faraway eyes.

"That's perfect,  " she  said as  he  entered. "I  was just  trying  to

remember if you'd ever done anything I asked you to. "

"Once or twice, by accident, " he said lightly, hoping to draw a  smile

from her. "But we made it through anyway. "

Leia said nothing, choosing instead to sip from her glass.

"This is important for both of us, Leia. For your children, too, " Luke

said. His glance acknowledged Han, who  had followed as far as the  doorway

and taken up a position leaning, arms crossed, against the frame. "I  think

there really might be a chance to break through and discover our mother  as

a real person. "

"Why? " She turned her face toward  him for the first time, and he  saw

the weariness in her eyes.

"You've probed me  more times than  I can remember.  You had Artoo  and

Threepio on Obra-skai for months, searching  the libraries for any clue.  "

She emptied her glass and set it down on the bar. "You and I sat in a  Jedi

meditation circle for hours on end,  night after night, calling on  Obi-Wan

and Anakin and Yoda, Owen  and Beru, my foster  parents, anyone we knew  of

who might have known her. Calling her, too-remember? "

"I remember. "

"And when we were  done, we knew  exactly as much as  we had before.  A

conspiracy of silence, you called it. "

"It seemed that way,  " Luke said.  "But I think  the silence has  just

been broken. I think I know why we never found any trace of her. "

"You're obsessed with  the past, "  she said, her  tone sharp. "I  just

can't let myself  keep caring that  much. Father and  Mother are dead,  and

nothing you do can change that. My children are the future. "

"How do we know that Mother's dead?  " Luke asked, easing onto a  stool

on the opposite side of the meal bar. "Where's her grave? Who saw her  die?

Did you? "

"No-"

"How do we know  she didn't leave Alderaan,  leave you on Alderaan,  to

hide from Father? How do we know she didn't succeed? "

"There's a simple answer to that, " Leia said, raising her head. "She's

dead, Luke. If she were  still alive, there'd be  nothing to stop her  from

coming here for a reunion. "

"She might be as young as fifty, " Luke said. "It could still happen. "

"It's been  twelve years,  Luke, "  she said.  "And we're  not hard  to

find-at least, I'm not. "

"What does that mean? " asked Luke.

"I'm going to tell  you something I've kept  from you, just because  of

the way you are about this thing, " Leia said slowly. "Since the end of the

war-since I made Coruscant  my home, and  the work of  the New Republic  my

life-there's been a steady  stream of women coming  here and claiming  that

they're our long-lost  mother. " She  looked to Han.  "How many have  there

been now, honey? "

"More than two hundred, " Han said, nodding.

"More of them  lately, for some  reason-almost one a  week so far  this

year. "

"The security staff calls them 'mad  grannies, ' " Leia said. "Some  of

them aren't old  enough by  half-some aren't  even human.  But they're  all

firmly in love with the idea that  they married the monster and gave  birth

to the heroes of the Rebellion. " She shook her head sadly.

"But there might be  reasons we don't  know of for her  not to come,  "

Luke said earnestly. "She may need to protect those who protected her.  She

might not want  to face  our questions.  For all  she knows,  we curse  her

memory. That's why we may have to  find her. Please, Leia-let me look  into

your mind one more time. I have a signpost this time-a name. "

"And what if you find what you're looking for? "

"Then I'm going away with  the woman who brought  me the name, to  find

the rest. "

Leia raised  her hands  in exasperation.  "You see?  You see?  There'll

never be an end to it-you'll never be able to let it go. "

"I just have to know  the truth, " Luke  said. "I don't understand  why

you don't feel the same way-"

"Listen to me-we're  never going  to have a  tidy family  tree, "  Leia

snapped. "Why can't  you realize?  We're never  going to  know our  parents

better than we do right now. We're never going to have fond stories of  our

grandparents to tell our children. We're better off telling them about Owen

and Beru, about Bail-the real people who cared for us, protected us,  loved

us like we were their own. You make too much of blood. "

"It's more than blood-" Luke began.

"I don't care, " Leia said, slapping  the top of the bar with the  flat

of her right hand. The noise was so sudden and loud that it made Han  jump.

"You can't invent a normal childhood for us, no matter how much you turn up

about Mother and Father. And if you do find the truth, as you call it,  you

just might find you don't like it very much. You might end up wishing you'd

let them stay dead. "

"Could anything be worse than what we already know? "

"I'd rather not know the answer  to that question, " Leia said  curtly,

pushing herself back from  the bar so violently  that her stool toppled  to

the floor as she slipped  off it. "You and  I are foundlings, Luke.  That's

how it is, like it  or not. Our family  tree starts here-with this  family,

and these children.  And they're  going to  know their  parents, and  their

uncle, and all our wonderful friends. "

Leia's face and voice filled with a  rising fury as she spoke, fury  at

the world, the past, at Luke, at  all who stood as obstacles to her  vision

of what should be.

"My children are  going to  have normal  family stories  to tell  their

children, little funny  stories about everyday  nothings, stories where  no

one dies too young or has to carry  a burden of shame. I'm going to see  to

that, with your help or without it-"

Han approached from the doorway. "Leia-"

"Nothing matters more to me, do you understand? " she demanded, jabbing

a finger in Luke's face.  "Nothing. So you do what  you think you have  to,

brother-go wherever you have to with whoever you want to, chasing  whatever

shadow of a hint of a promise of a clue you like. I don't care about any of

it. Don't ask for my help again. And don't bring the past into this  house.

It's all just pain  and death. You wallow  in it if you  want to. I've  had

enough of it for ten lifetimes. "

Stunned by the vehemence of her  outburst, both men stood mute as  Leia

stalked out of the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, " Luke said at last. "You were right. I let myself think  I

know her better than you do. "

"I don't know who's right and who's wrong, kid. I just know you're both

stubborn as tauntauns, " Han said. "And that this would probably be a  good

time to be leaving. "

Luke did not argue.

Like most  small sport  spacecraft with  bold names,  Akanah's  Verpine

Adventurer offered few amenities, technical or personal.

It had no weapons, combat shields, or astromech droid, and its sublight

speed rating was a meager 2.5.

The navigational  deflector array  had  been upgraded  to the  Block  3

standard somewhere during  its history,  but its  hyperdrive motivator  was

still Block 1. There was only  a single pressurized compartment, which  the

flight stations  shared  with a  single-width  sleeper and  tiny  curtained

refresher unit.  The  meal-service  console  was  limited  to  three  drink

selections, Akanah explained apologetically, since she hadn't been able  to

afford repairs to the food dispensers.

But the pilot's station was roomy enough for Luke to forgo his  service

flight suit in favor of looser,  more casual clothing, and the small  cargo

hold had more than  room enough for Luke's  one modest bag beside  Akanah's

luggage and supplies.

"Is that all? " Akanah shouted over the wind.

"That's all, " Luke said, retrieving a comlink from a concealed pocket.

"Go on, get inside-you're shivering. Artee, can you hear me? "

The comlink chirped brightly.

Luke helped Akanah climb  through the narrow  access chute, then  moved

away from the Adventurer.

"Artee, I'm going away for a while,  " he said, cupping the comlink  in

one bare hand.  "Maintain Security  Protocol Five. If  anyone breaches  the

perimeter,  send  Code  Alpha-five-zeal-alpha   on  Control  Channel   One.

Acknowledge. "

R7-T1 acknowledged the instructions obediently.

It was innocent  of the  fact that  the code  it had  been given  would

topple the hermitage  into the sea,  shattering it on  the rock spires  and

plunging the E-wing below the waves.

"End link, " Luke said, and switched the comlink off. Turning away,  he

returned to the  Adventurer and climbed  the access ladder  two rungs at  a

time.

"Is everything all right? " Akanah asked as he joined her.

"Everything's fine, " he said, pushing the lever that folded the ladder

and sealed the hatch behind him.

"Do you want the controls? "

"That's not necessary, " she said, slipping in the second seat.

"If you don't mind, I'll  help, " Luke said  as he buckled himself  in.

"But first you have  to tell me which  way to point the  little end of  the

ship. "

"Our destination is Lucazec, " she said. "That was our last home. We'll

start our search there. "

Chapter 7

In deep space far  from any star, the  Teljkon vagabond drifted in  the

darkness, silent and inert.

Gmar Askilon, the  nearest of the  cold lights woven  into the  eternal

curtain of night, was too far away to raise more than the faintest gleam on

the vagabond's gray metal skin.

Trailing well  behind was  the much  smaller black-hulled  Intelligence

ferret IX-44F-one ghost shadowing another.  The ferret was nearly as  inert

as its quarry.

It announced itself  only with periodic  position updates broadcast  to

Coruscant by hypercomm, and by an optical-laser pulse aimed directly aft.

The laser pulse was the rendezvous target for Pakkpekatt's  approaching

armada, which had come  out of hyperspace  on tiptoe, one  ship at a  time,

hundreds of thousands of klicks behind the vagabond. Following the ferret's

beacon, the  armada had  taken days  to  close the  gap, its  slow,  silent

approach that of an infinitely patient predator.

For most of  that approach,  the armada was  arrayed single  file on  a

heading that  allowed  the hull  of  the tiny  ferret  itself to  hide  the

approaching ships  from the  vagabond. Only  two days  ago had  the  armada

broken file and, using thrusters only, begun to spread itself out into  the

intercept formation.

The three  pickets  that made  up  the interdiction  screen  moved  the

farthest out  and  forward. Their  orders  called  for them  to  flank  the

vagabond on three sides, and move ahead of it. By the time the rest of  the

armada caught up  to the  ferret, the interdiction  pickets were  to be  in

position to cut off a hyperspace escape.

Spreading out almost as widely were the three spotter ships-two escorts

and theLightning  , a  converted Prinawe  racer-assigned to  make  complete

visual and full-spectrum recordings of the intercept attempt.

If the vagabond tried  to run in real  space, it wasLightning's job  to

run with it.

Glorious, the gunshipMarauder , and the pilotless ferret D-89  remained

on the  initial intercept  heading, closing  with the  shadowing ferret  so

slowly that at times an impatient Lando thought they would never reach it.

"This Pakkpekatt is so cautious, he makes you look impetuous, Threepio,

" Lando complained in the privacy ofLady Luck's main cabin.

"I agree with his tactics, " said Lobot.

"You would, " Lando said wryly.

"Is it not prudent to take all pains to avoid alarming one's prey? "

"We've gone far  beyond prudent,  " Lando grumbled.  "I'm beginning  to

suspect the Hortek hunt by boring their prey to death. "

But finally the  hour came  when all ten  ships were  in position,  and

IX-44F and its  three-man crew  were relieved  from their  seventy-nine-day

deployment.

"Captain, you are free to return to base, with our thanks, " Pakkpekatt

signaled the ferret. "I'm afraid you will have to make a stealth withdrawal

from the target zone, however. "

"Thank you, Colonel,  " came the  response. "A couple  of days more  or

less in this closet don't mean much to us at this point. Good luck and good

hunting. "

As IX-44F veered slowly off the intercept heading and fell behind,  the

cruiserGlorious took up its position.

"What do you think is inside, General Calrissian? " asked Pakkpekatt as

they stood together at the main bridge viewport. "Why is it here? Where  is

it going? Tell me what you're thinking. "

"Wherever it's  going, Colonel,  it's  not in  a  hurry, "  Lando  said

easily. "Just like us, eh? Have you  made a final decision on when to  send

in your ferret? "

"I intend  to  establish  an observation  baseline  before  making  any

approach, " Pakkpekatt said. "Have you and your staff made any progress  on

the signal fragment from the Hrasskis contact? "

"Colonel, you know our  hands have been tied  by your blackout  orders.

We've had hardly any  bandwidth available to us  on the HoloNet. Lady  Luck

doesn't have the kind of data capacity you have here onGlorious . We depend

more heavily than you do on access to records located elsewhere. "

"I will take that  as a report  of 'No progress,  ' " Pakkpekatt  said.

With a light touch on the  main viewport's controls, he increased the  gain

on the photo-amplifiers until the outline of the vagabond sharpened and the

body of the vessel brightened enough to show the gross detail.

"Look at it, General, "  he went on. "For all  we know, it may be  five

hundred years old, or fifty thousand. It may have been roaming space  since

both our species were too young to raise our eyes to the stars. Perhaps the

only reason we can get this close is that the work of some ancient engineer

has at long last begun to decay and fail. "

"The odds  favor a  shorter history,  " Lando  said, surprised  at  the

Hortek's sentimentality. "There are many dangers in space. "

"Yes, " said Pakkpekatt, "and to the  vagabond, we are one of them.  Do

you know, General, that no  ship like this, no  plan or design, appears  in

any registry of  any New  Republic world?  No shipwright  we've found  will

claim it as his handiwork, though all  seem to admire the craft evident  in

it. If the vagabond was built by any species we know, no other like it  was

ever made. "

"Our catalog  of everything  that ever  was is  a long  way from  being

complete, " said Lando. "The odds favor a less exotic history. "

"How can a gambler  post the odds without  knowing the game? "  scoffed

Pakkpekatt. "Perhaps this ship before us is home to a species which has  no

other home. Perhaps  it's a new  and curious  visitor to this  part of  the

universe, from places for which we have no names. Or perhaps it comes  here

from deep  in the  Core, where  we have  vanishingly few  friends. All  are

possible-as are a universe of possibilities beyond our present imagining. "

"Yes, possible, " Lando admitted. "Not likely. "

"But reason enough  to be  cautious, wouldn't you  agree? "  Pakkpekatt

said pointedly. "Reason  enough for patience,  even to the  point of  pain.

Even to the  point of boredom.  We will  watch them for  a while,  General.

We'll let them watch us for a while  as well. And I'll tell you when  we're

ready to do more. Can you live with that, General? "

Lando's skin prickled to  hear echoes of  his private conversations  in

Pakkpekatt's words. It seemed more than  a coincidence, and yet he had,  on

many occasions, seen charlatans perform even more convincing feats of  mind

reading through trickery.

"For now, Colonel,  " Lando said.  "I just hope  whoever or  whatever's

inside that thing isn't busy making plans  to destroy it to keep it out  of

our hands. That's part of your  universe of possibilities, too. I hope  you

won't forget it. "

Pakkpekatt's expression was unreadable. "I will ask the  communications

officer to allot what slack time there may be in our HoloNet queue to  your

staff. Perhaps that will allow you to make faster progress. "

"Thank you, Colonel, " Lando said with courtly politeness. "That'd be a

step in the right direction. "

"What  a   mess,   "  Lieutenant   Norda   Proi  said,   studying   the

high-resolution scan of space directly ahead of theSteadfast . The  three-D

display showed more than twelve  thousand objects, from hundreds no  larger

than a stormtrooper's combat boot to one that promised to be the aft  third

of an Imperial Star Destroyer.

"Must have been one wild party. "

Captain Oolas nodded. "We'll be here a month, at least. Where would you

like to start, Lieutenant? "

"The big piece of cake, of course,  " Proi said, pointing. "But we  can

launch droids on the way in, and let them start picking up the crumbs. "

For nearly  a year  the  fleet haulerSteadfast  had traced  a  solitary

course through  some of  the most  famous  regions of  what had  once  been

Imperial space.

Known in Fleet Office  slang as a junker,  Steadfast had served in  the

Battle of Endor, in the defense of Coruscant against Admiral Thrawn, and in

the pursuit of the Knight Hammer.

But with the cessation  of hostilities, the  four oldest fleet  haulers

had been  recalled-at  the request  of  the Intelligence  Section-from  the

combat groups  they usually  served. Equipped  with dozens  of  specialized

droids and with  Intelligence officers  supplementing the  usual crew,  the

junkers were reborn as scavengers.

Their mission  orders took  them to  the coordinates  of major  battles

between the  Empire  and  its  enemies, where  they  searched  through  the

wreckage for objects or information of potential value.

"Do you think  we're the  first ones here  this time?  " asked  Captain

Oolas.

Norda Proi  studied the  spectroscopic analysis  of the  objects  being

tracked. "Just  possibly so,  Captain. I  don't want  to get  my hopes  up,

though. We'll know pretty quickly when we board the wreck if the mice  have

been here before us. "

Operation Flotsam had been launched when military artifacts, Rebel  and

Imperial, began showing up on the private collectors' market. When  further

investigation showed that the  artifacts had not been  stolen but had  been

salvaged from battle zones by smugglers and other entrepreneurs, the Senate

acted with unusual speed and unanimity.

The Historic Battle Site Protection Act established more than two dozen

restricted areas and claimed ownership  of all combat debris everywhere  in

the name of  the Alliance War  Museum. But security,  not history, was  the

prime concern. Many observers credited the explosion of a thermal detonator

in a wealthy residential zone on Givin and a Rudrig crime ring's use of  an

Imperial interrogator droid on a kidnap  victim with putting the fear  into

the Senate.

But a declaration of  ownership by Coruscant only  made the traffic  in

artifacts illegal-it didn't end it.  That took gunship patrols through  the

restricted areas, the arrest of the notorious Huttese smuggler Uta, and the

seizure of  weapons  and other  exotic  collectibles from  the  upper-class

customers of  a well-known  Imperial City  art dealer.  Even at  that,  the

arrival ofSteadfast  had  twice sent  would-be  poachers running,  and  the

debris fields it had surveyed so far had all seemed picked over.

"I have a positive identification on the wreck, Lieutenant, " a  junior

Intelligence officer called out. "It's the I-class Star DestroyerGnisnal  ,

our registry  number  SD-489.  Reported destroyed  by  internal  explosions

during the Imperial  evacuation of  Narth and  Ihopek. The  report is  from

Alliance sources. "

"All right, " said Norda Proi, nodding. "Let's move in. "

First aboard  the  wreck were  half  a dozen  scanning  and  monitoring

droids, which jetted  across to it  on their own  power while  theSteadfast

held station a safe distance away.

Working in  pairs, so  that  anything that  happened  to one  would  be

documented by the other, the droids  fanned out according to a search  plan

tailored to that class of vessel.  The priorities were live weapons,  known

booby traps, and  other possible  hazards to the  living, breathing  search

teams that were ready to follow.

The threats  were not  merely  theoretical. The  junkerSeloniahad  been

badly damaged when a poacher's bomb disguised as a datapad went off in  its

hold. A  year  earlier,  the  ironically  named  surveyorForesighthad  been

destroyed by autofiring  laser cannon  when search teams  tripped an  alarm

inside an abandoned Imperial cruiser.

But one rule of  thumb had never failed  the scavengers--if the  droids

found bodies aboard, there would be no bombs. Imperial guile did not extend

to  using  the  bodies  of  their  own  as  bait  for  their  enemies,  and

poachers-out of superstition  or respect-always cleared  the corridors  and

compartments of corpses.

Still, Norda Proi found that it made him uncomfortable to be  gladdened

by the sight of bodies aboard theGnisnal .

"Did you hear about the fellow Republic Security arrested on Derra Four

last month? " Proi asked, studying the images being relayed toSteadfast  by

SM-6. "He had eleven Imperial corpses in cryotanks in a hangar, all of them

in full armor or deck uniform. Crazy. "

"I heard,  " said  Captain Oolas.  "Crazy and  sad. Apparently  he  was

keeping them until his son was old  enough to be told what happened to  his

mother during the  occupation. Seems he  planned to hand  his son  whatever

weapon he wanted and let him take his revenge. "

"I'm glad I had a normal father, " Proi said, switching the display  to

the signal from SM-1.

Captain Oolas sat back and  folded his hands on  his lap. "I'm glad  my

homeworld was never occupied by the Empire. "

At that moment, SM-1 bumped against a floating body, sending it  slowly

cartwheeling away. But for just a moment, the face of a dead Imperial petty

officer-burned by fire or  explosion and blistered by  decompression-seemed

to hover in front of the droid's optical scanner.

"You know, Lieutenant,  " said  Oolas, "even  a just  war doesn't  look

quite sogloriously heroic to those of us who have to pick up afterward. "

"I won't disagree, " said Proi. "I'm glad it's over. "

The droid team of SM-3  and SM-4 found what was  left of the power  and

propulsion decks of theGnisnal , a jungle of scorched and twisted durasteel

yawning open to space.

"The explosion  was  internal,  all  right, "  Norda  Proi  said  after

studying the side-by-side  images sent back  by the droids.  "Looks like  a

failure of the primary transfer coupling for the solar ionization  reactor.

Which is about as foolproof a piece of equipment as there is aboard a  Star

Destroyer. "

"Sabotage? "

"Or plain bad  luck, " said  Proi. "Whatever happened,  it dropped  the

hyperspace motivator  right  down  the  pipe into  the  reactor  core.  The

secondary explosion broke her back  and carried away just about  everything

below the twenty-sixth  deck. Poor sods  wouldn't have had  any warning  at

all. Concussion alone probably killed most everyone on the upper decks. "

Proi switched  to the  signal from  SM-5 and  SM-6, which  were  slowly

making their way to the bridge.

"Ensign, what  would the  normal ship's  complement be  for the  intact

portion of theGnisnal ? "

"One moment, sir,  " said  the rating,  leaning over  his console.  "At

battle stations, approximately twelve  thousand. At normal watch  stations,

approximately seven thousand, four hundred. "

"Too many to take home, " said Oolas.

Norda Proi  shook his  head. "Chances  are half  the crew  or more  was

comprised of  conscripts, most  of  them from  what  are now  New  Republic

worlds, "  he said.  "I'll  put in  a request  to  have a  fleet  transport

diverted here to take the overflow. "

The primary operator for SM-1 sat beside data analysis droid DA-1 at  a

console inSteadfast's forward  hold. Together they  monitored in real  time

the steady stream of images and sensor data from insideGnisnal .

A few steps  away sat  the operator for  SM-2 and  his analysis  droid,

performing the same tasks in parallel.

The primary task for  the droids and their  operators was to  inventory

the ship's hangars, which had been located forward of the reactor, and  its

gun  batteries,  which   ordinarily  bristled  from   every  face  of   the

wedge-shaped main hull. But enough of  the ship was missing that that  task

was well  ahead of  schedule. Both  droids were  already well  aft, in  the

sections below the Star Destroyer's superstructure.

Gnisnal'shull was intact there, and the droids moved through the  outer

corridors on the port side without difficulty or obstruction. But when they

turned down an inner corridor leading to the aft emplacements, alarms began

sounding at both consoles.

"Ambient light detected, " DA-1 announced.  But it was obvious to  both

operators without interpretation-the corridor ahead was brightly lit by its

own overhead lights.

Immediately, the  operator  paged  theSteadfast's  bridge.  "Lieutenant

Proi, this is Makki on  Number One. Sir, the lights  are on in Corridor  R,

Level Ninety.  There's  still power  aboard.  " The  operator's  voice  was

shadowed by concern.

"Interesting, "  said  Oolas,  glancing  at the  range  marker  on  the

navigation display.

"Redundant systems, " Proi said, frowning, calling a three-view plan of

the ship to his display. "That section  is served by the Number Four  power

cell, backed up by the Number Eight.  I guess one of them's still  working.

Give the Imps credit, they built those babies to last. "

"Should I have the helmsman put  a little more distance between us  and

the wreck? " Oolas's upper tentacles wrapped themselves protectively around

his thin neck as he spoke, showing his nervousness.

"No, " Proi said. He frowned, seemingly lost in thought. "That's combat

lighting, not emergency  lighting. You  know-as quickly as  this ship  went

bad, there's a chance they didn't have time to initiate a purge- Makki, you

there? "

"Yes, sir. "

"Any signs of movement? Any vibration or hot spots in the bulkheads? "

"No, sir. "

"Then I want you to check something for me, " he said. "Send the  droid

up to Level Ninety-six, Corridor Q."

"What's there? " asked Oolas.

Norda Proi shook his head.  "Wait. I'm superstitious about wishing  out

loud. "

With its  twin following,  SM-1  entered a  turbolift shaft  and  began

rising toward Level Ninety-six. Oolas watched anxiously, while Proi watched

with silent anticipation.

When the  first droid  had cleared  the shaft,  they saw  an  abandoned

guardpost by  a set  of open  blast doors.  Thousands of  jagged,  glittery

fragments drifted in the air like snow.

"The viewports on this level must have imploded after the explosion,  "

said Oolas.

"No-too thin. Those are fragments from display screens, " Proi said.

"Which tells me  we're in the  right place. Makki,  turn to  starboard.

Forward, now. Through the blast doors.  Look for an access corridor on  the

right, about twenty meters ahead. "

The droid's  maneuvering  jets  stirred the  cloud  of  fragments  into

frantic motion  as it  made its  way along,  finding and  turning down  the

access  corridor.  Before   long,  the  corridor   opened  into  a   large,

high-ceilinged room.

More than  forty  workstations,  their  displays  all  shattered,  were

arrayed in two half-circles. All faced the two-meter-tall metallic cylinder

that stood like an unfinished sculpture on a platform against the far wall.

Hanging on the wall to either side of the cylinder were digital display

panels as  wide as  blast doors.  An ever  changing array  of  multicolored

messages in Basic and binary filled most of the face of the left panel.

"By my mother's jewels! " Proi said in awe.

"What is it? "

"Our express ticket back  to Coruscant, "  said Lieutenant Norda  Proi.

"An intact Imperial memory core. "

The Number 4  memory core  from the  Star DestroyerGnisnal  stood in  a

Technical Section laboratory coupled to three heavy-duty power droids in  a

cascade chain.  One droid  was  sufficient to  keep  the core's  tiers  and

channels from collapsing; the others were insurance.

The contents of the memory core were too valuable to risk.

Accessing the contents, though, required  knowing which of more than  a

hundred  Imperial  data  sequencing  algorithms  had  been  used  to  write

information to the core. And that knowledge was not stored anywhere in  the

core itself, but in the dual system controllers-which had not survived  the

destruction of the ship.

Only fourteen of those algorithms were  known in detail to the  experts

of the  Technical Section.  In the  first day  theGnisnal core  was in  the

laboratory, all fourteen were tried on it, without success. The contents of

the core poured out as seemingly impenetrable gibberish.

Five different teams made  up of crack information-science  specialists

aided by speedy analysis droids immediately set out to find the patterns in

the gibberish.

Using files  captured from  other  Imperial vessels  as a  guide,  they

searched through the digital jigsaw  puzzle for pieces that went  together.

Even a few short strings could be  enough to allow the droids to  re-create

the unknown algorithm, and unlock whatever secrets the memory core held.

Jarse Motempe's Team 3 assembled the first fragmentary string, made  up

of the names and  ranks of two ofGnisnal's  command officers. Within a  day

Team 5  had found  an even  longer string  containing a  standard  Imperial

hypercomm message header.

The  final  breakthrough   belonged  to   Motempe  again-the   complete

fifteen-point standing maintenance order  for a TIE  bomber. Its more  than

fourteen hundred sequential data bits seemed to map every detail of the new

algorithm. Confirmation came quickly. The first file reconstructed was  the

ship's duty roster.

The second  was  its  daily  communications log  for  the  day  it  was

destroyed.

After  that,  things  moved  very  quickly.  An  interface  droid   was

programmed with the new algorithm and  linked to theGnisnal core, and  this

time tens of  thousand of  object and data  files poured  forth instead  of

gibberish. Each file was copied,  tagged, classified, and forwarded to  the

Analysis Section for distribution.

One of them, given the ID number  AK031995 and a priority code of  Most

Urgent, ended up in the hands of Ayddar Nylykerka.

Officially, Ayddar Nylykerka  was a cataloger,  and his assignment  was

Asset Tracking. Practically,  that meant  he made  lists, requested  lists,

collected lists,  collated lists,  cross-indexed lists.  All of  the  lists

concerned the same subject-Imperial warships.

The  Asset  Tracking  office  had  been  set  up  in  the  wake  of  an

intelligence failure that had nearly led to disaster. Grand Admiral  Thrawn

had been  the  first to  rediscover  the more  than  a hundred  hidden  Old

Republic Dreadnaughts known as the Katana  fleet, and had managed to  seize

the great majority  of them  before the  New Republic  caught up.  Thrawn's

vastly strengthened  fleet  then attacked  more  than twenty  New  Republic

systems. By the time he was defeated, a great price had been paid in  lives

and material.

Asset Tracking  existed to  make  sure that  there  were no  more  such

painful surprises.

But  the  office  had  undergone   many  changes  since  it  had   been

established. At  first it  enjoyed a  staff of  fifteen-eight  researchers,

three catalogers, two analysts, and two clerical droids.

The size of the staff reflected the importance given the task, and  the

chief analyst was invariably well connected in the Fleet Office.

Reports from the  Asset Tracking office  regularly received  high-level

attention.

Over time, however,  the office's star  faded. The easy  work was  done

early, and  each report  contained  less new  and useful  information.  The

passage of  time  raised doubts  about  the usefulness  of  Asset  Tracking

assessments, since it gave potential enemies the chance to build and launch

new vessels.  Little by  little, staff  was reassigned  to  higher-priority

tasks, and the  positions that remained  came to be  viewed as career  dead

ends. Those who could get out, did-except for Ayddar Nylykerka.

At the time theGnisnal intelligence  reached him, Ayddar Nylykerka  was

the Asset Tracking office. Starting out as a researcher, he had moved up to

cataloger when no one else  had seemed to want the  job, and had added  the

analyst's hat when the office's last licensed analyst had been  reassigned.

For more than  seven years  he had  carried the  burden alone.  He had  the

smallest cubicle in the Threat Assessment section, no more than a box  with

a door. To go with the absence of creature comforts, he also had no  staff,

no status or perks,  and no contacts  to tell him  where file AK031995  had

come from.

Ayddar Nylykerka did not know about the evacuation of Narth and Ipotek,

the destruction of theGnisnal , or the discoveries of theSteadfast .

He had never heard of Captain Oolas, Norda Proi, Jarse Motempe, or  any

of the others whose work had brought the file to him. He was not aware that

outside his  cubicle  walls  he  was  considered  laughably  humorless  and

harmlessly obsessive.

But he knew his job,  which had not changed  since the office had  been

established to inventory and determine the status of every warship known to

the New Republic and not under the control of the New Republic.

And he knew that in the entire history of the Asset Tracking office, it

had never before had available to it what he now had before him--a complete

Imperial order of battle.

It was  all  there.  Every  warship,  by  name,  class,  callsign,  and

commander, assigned  to  every fleet  and  combat command.  Every  fighter,

interceptor, bomber, and assault squadron posted to every SD, SSD, carrier,

and Dreadnaught, with squadron strengths detailed.

Every stormtrooper  company and  infantry battalion  assigned to  every

transport, occupation force, outpost, and fort. Every cripple in a  drydock

and every keel in a shipyard,  with projected repair and completion  dates.

Even the second-tier vessels allocated to training commands were included.

The datestamp on the file was more than ten years old, but it was still

a treasure beyond price.  The order of  battle encompassed information  far

beyond that which ordinary  ship captains and  task force commanders  would

have at their disposal, information that only a ranking sector commander or

the Emperor's own military aides would possess.

And that made  Ayddar Nylykerka suspicious-suspicious  enough to  spend

the next  several  hours trying  to  show that  the  file was  a  fraud,  a

late-discovered Imperial disinformation trick.

When he could  not do  so, he  called his wives  and told  them not  to

expect him that night.

Then he threw himself into the real task before him--finding  something

in AK031995  to justify  the last  seven years  of his  professional  life,

something to remind everyone in the  Fleet Command that the Asset  Tracking

office existed for a reason. Having authenticated the order of battle  with

his highest-confidence intelligence,  he put his  faith behind it,  certain

that he would never have such an opportunity again.

As he  studied  the data,  the  unofficial motto  of  the  Intelligence

Section lingered in his mind:  As dangerous as what  we don't know are  the

things we "know" that aren't so.

Ayddar Nylykerka did not leave his desk for three days. When at last he

did, it was not to go home. With his datapad tucked tightly under his  arm,

he ordered an airspeeder from the pool and headed for Victory Lake.

The Coruscant home of Admiral Ackbar was made up of two squat off-white

cylinders. One cylinder, windowless, rose from the grassy shore of  Victory

Lake. The other, half  transparisteel, rose from  the tranquil blue  water.

They were linked by a third cylinder, a long, slender shape that enclosed a

second-story skywalk.  A graceful  single-seat Calamari  water skimmer  was

moored to a pylon in the lake.

Ayddar's Fleet  ID was  enough to  get him  past the  guardpost at  the

security perimeter,  though he  was obliged  to surrender  his datapad  for

screening, then park  the airspeeder  and walk up  to the  house. There  he

presented himself at the entrance to the lakeshore cylinder.

"Ayddar  Nylykerka,  chief  analyst  of  the  Asset  Tracking   office,

Intelligence Section, Fleet Command, to see Admiral Ackbar. "

A few seconds later the curved door flashed open with a hiss to  reveal

a Fleet valet droid. Folding its arms  across its chest, it seemed to  take

up the whole doorway. "Analyst, Admiral Ackbar doesn't see anyone below the

rank of commodore when he's home, " the droid said. "He spends enough  time

out of water  as it  is. Call  his office  in the  morning and  ask for  an

appointment. "

Ayddar stared disbelievingly. "You don't understand. This is important.

"

"Then it's important enough to disturb your immediate superior first, "

the droid said. "Run it up  through channels. The admiral will consider  it

if and when it reaches his desk. "

"No, " Ayddar said stubbornly. He  tried to look beyond the droid  into

the house, but all he saw was the inner door of the security lock.

"Not acceptable. I have to see him personally. I can't take the  chance

that this information won't be brought to his attention. "

"Mr. Nylykerka, Admiral Ackbar is resting.  He is not available to  see

you, " the droid  said implacably. "Now,  will you leave, or  do I need  to

signal the guard? "

Hugging the datapad to his chest, Ayddar squinted angrily at the droid.

"Very well, " he said finally. "I'll go. "

"Thank you, Mr. Nylykerka, " said the droid. It waited until Ayddar had

turned and taken his first steps down the path before closing the door.

The moment the door closed, however, Ayddar wheeled around on the  path

and ran  past  the  entrance  toward the  shore.  Gritting  his  teeth  and

cringing, he waded clumsily out into the water, splashing wildly.

Alarms began to sound, and a brilliant bank of lights on the  underside

of the skywalk suddenly cut short the twilight. With an animal cry,  Ayddar

flung himself headlong into  the waist-deep water and  began to thrash  his

way toward the lake cylinder in a wretched imitation of swimming.

His  simple  and  single-minded  impulse  had  been  to  pound  on  the

lake-level viewpanes to get Ackbar's attention.

But as he got closer, he saw  that the cylinder was an aquahab,  filled

with water nearly to the level of the skywalk.

A security  airspeeder swooped  low overhead,  and an  amplified  voice

bellowed orders at  him. "Attention, intruder--this  is your only  warning.

You are  trespassing on  government  property. Antipersonnel  blasters  are

aimed at you. Stop where you are, and  you will not be fired on. If you  do

not surrender, you will be shot. "

Panicked, Ayddar raised  his arms. When  he did, his  fragile grasp  of

swimming abruptly ended, and he slid below the surface. Before he  realized

what was happening, he found himself mired hand and foot in a layer of muck

on the  bottom, unable  to  push off  and free  himself  to return  to  the

surface.

A ring of lamps around the base of the aquahab flooded the dark  waters

with light.  For  the  first  time  Ayddar could  see  that  there  was  an

underwater entrance to the cylinder. He fought his way along the bottom  to

it, reached up with his free hand, and squeezed the Open lever.

Nothing happened.

In final desperation, with the sound of a jetboat's engines surrounding

him and quickly  growing louder, Ayddar  reached up and  swung the  datapad

against the hatch. It seemed to move in slow motion and to make hardly  any

sound when it struck.

But to Ayddar's  surprise, the  hatch slid open.  A blur  in the  water

grasped him firmly by the front of his shirt and dragged him inside with an

ease that spoke of impressive strength. Moments later Ayddar found  himself

breaking the surface at the top of the aquahab.

Gasping noisily,  he  grabbed  wildly  for  the  edge.  Only  when  his

fingertips had found precarious purchase  there did Ayddar realize that  he

no longer had the datapad.

He looked  around wildly  and found  Admiral Ackbar  watching him.  The

Calamari glided  easily through  the water  on the  far side  of the  pool,

making barely a ripple.

"You are Tammarian, are you not? " Ackbar said.

Ayddar was  shaking uncontrollably  as  he clung  to  the edge  of  the

walkway surrounding the water. "Yes, Ad-Admiral. "

"I have  heard that  Tammar has  an unusually  thin atmosphere  for  an

inhabited world, " said Ackbar casually.

"That is t-true, Admiral. "

"I have  heard, "  the admiral  went on,  "that as  a consequence  your

people evolved a  sort of chemical  pouch where you  store oxygen while  at

rest. "

"Yes, " Ayddar  said through  chattering lips.  "Thecbagbizs torre.  It

al-allows us  to expend  en-en-energy faster,  for-for a  short time,  than

res-respiration alone would al-allow. "

"I am told, " said Ackbar, "that this is why your people can  free-live

in vacuum for short periods of time. "

Feeling nauseous, Ayddar  closed his eyes  and rested his  head on  his

arms. "Yes, " he said, his voice small and muffled.

"I have also  heard, " said  the Calamari, gliding  nearby, "that  your

planet is  wholly  without  surface  water, and  that  your  people's  most

powerful fears have come to involve being immersed in standing water. "

Ayddar nodded weakly.

"I confess that such fears are  completely alien to me, " said  Ackbar.

"Yet you willingly entered the lake in an effort to see me. "

"Y-Yes, Admiral. I thought it was my d-duty. "

Effortlessly, the big Calamari eased himself out of the water and  onto

the ledge. Ayddar saw that he held the datapad securely in one big hand.

"Well, " Ackbar said, extending his empty hand to Ayddar, "I find I  am

not resting any longer. So  perhaps you will come to  my study with me  and

tell me what news has inspired such reckless devotion to duty. "

The track outside the officers'  gymnasium at Fleet Headquarters  wound

its way for a kilometer over  hilly, wooded ground. Secured, shielded,  and

privacy-screened, it  had  been  used many  times  for  discreet,  deniable

meetings-not least by the  man for whom Admiral  Ackbar waited in the  cool

morning air.

Ackbar stood at the edge of the  line of trees, a few strides from  the

cinder track, and looked  back toward the rising  sun as a solitary  runner

crested a small rise.

As the runner drew near, Ackbar stepped out from the trees. "I see  you

are still a creature of habit, Hiram, " he said with cheerful gruffness.

Admiral Hiram  Drayson slowed  from his  brisk jog  to a  walk. "I  see

you're still as slothful as ever. It's  been a long time since you've  been

in the gym. "

"I do not much  enjoy coming here,  but sometimes I  have no choice,  "

Ackbar said, falling in beside Drayson.  "Will you take pity and walk  with

me a while? "

"I think I can accommodate myself to your pace, " said Drayson. "What's

new? "

"I had a visit last night from the senior analyst of Asset Tracking,  "

said Ackbar.

"Indeed. "

"So-you have already heard. "

"I heard there was a disturbance at your residences-nothing more. "

"I will choose to  believe that, " Ackbar  said. "Ayddar has  uncovered

something which concerns me, and about which I would like your counsel. But

I did not want to be seen coming to your office, or allow this to be placed

on the Fleet net. "

"Go on. "

Even at their modest  pace, Ackbar was beginning  to pant. "Ayddar  has

been studying the Imperial  order of battle taken  from theGnisnal a  month

ago. He has found a discrepancy. "

"Another Katana? "

"Nothing so large or clear-cut, " Ackbar said. "What the young man  has

discovered is this. There are an unusual number of vessels assigned to  the

Empire's Black Sword Command which we cannot account for. "

"Black  Sword  Command  defended  the   center  of  the  Empire's   Rim

territories, " Drayson  noted. "Praxlis,  Corridan, the  entire Kokash  and

Farlax sectors. "

"Yes, " Ackbar  said, nearly gasping  for breath. He  placed a hand  on

Drayson's shoulder and turned him.

"Please-may we stop? "

"Of course. "

"Thank you,  "  said Ackbar,  his  neck  and upper  chest  heaving.  "I

apologize. The older I get, the harder it is for me to keep my lungs wet in

air. "

"Apology not necessary. You were saying-"

"Yes, of course. " Ackbar glanced  up and down the track, then  dropped

his voice.  "According to  Ayddar,  the order  of  battle for  Black  Sword

includes forty-four capital ships which we have not seen nor heard of since

the fall of the Emperor. None smaller than a Victory-class Star  Destroyer.

Three are Superclass vessels. "

Drayson whistled. "What do you think of his analysis? "

"I find it indisputable. "

"You know  that that's  more  than enough  firepower to  overwhelm  any

planetary system in the New Republic, " said Drayson. "Coruscant  included.

"

"Yes, " said Ackbar. "If those ships still exist, they would  represent

a serious threat. "

"If? "

"If, "  Ackbar repeated.  "You see,  there are  many wrinkles  to  this

matter. All but five of the forty-four were either newly laid keels or in a

yard somewhere for refit or major repairs. "

"Which yards? "

"Ayddar cannot say. The names given are either not known to us, or  are

unknown code names for places we do know. "

"Or they may not exist at all the yards or the ships, " said Drayson.

"Don't rule out the possibility that the order of battle is padded with

paper assets. If neither Daala nor Thrawn could lay hands on these ships to

throw at us-"

"That is a consideration. "

Drayson frowned. "What are  the chances that some  or all of them  were

simply renamed, and we have seen them since? We've certainly known Imperial

Command to play that game. "

"Ayddar tells me  that, at  most, that could  account for  five of  the

missing vessels. "

"Which would still leave a  substantial force unaccounted for, "  mused

Drayson. "How long after the destruction of theGnisnal did the Black  Sword

Command withdraw from the Rim? "

"Less than a year. "

"Long enough for at least some of those vessels to have been  completed

or repaired, " said Drayson.

"More than half, if the projected  commissioning dates in the order  of

battle were met. "

"So the Empire may have taken upwards of twenty more ships than we knew

back with them to the Deep Core. "

"Yes. But there's another possibility, which concerns me rather more, "

said Ackbar. "The Empire preferred to establish military shipyards in every

sector they controlled,  so that no  one facility was  critical to the  war

effort, and damaged ships did not need to travel far for repairs-"

"Which would suggest that those unidentified yards were likely  located

somewhere in Black Sword Command's patrol area. "

"Which would mean that as many as twenty Star Destroyers could be  very

much closer to us than the Core. "

Drayson squinted  at  Ackbar. "Ordinarily,  I'd  expect the  Empire  to

destroy any assets they couldn't take with them. "

"I would be happy to know that they had done so, " said Ackbar "But  we

haven't found  any  ruined shipyards  in  that  area. Though  that  is  not

conclusive-there are large areas of Kokash and Farlax which have never been

properly surveyed. Including the Morath Nebula and the Koornacht Cluster. "

"Ah, " said Drayson. "I see where this is leading. "

"Hiram, I don't want to know how you might know the answers. But I know

you have resources  not available outside  your office. I  am concerned  by

this business with Nil  Spaan. Negotiations have been  at a standstill  for

weeks, and yet Leia still urges patience. And I wonder to myself, could the

Yevetha be hiding these ships for Daala? Is it possible the Duskhan  League

is still allied with the Core? "

After a  moment's  measured consideration,  Drayson  said, "I  have  no

information to support such a thesis. Or to rule it out. "

"Then I  am at  a  loss as  to  how to  proceed,  " Ackbar  said.  "The

negotiations in  progress  make  this  a delicate  matter.  I  cannot  make

accusations without evidence. Nor can I  ignore a potential threat of  this

magnitude. "

"What would you do if the decision were yours? "

"I would begin a  search for this  Black Fleet, and  not stop until  we

have found it, or its wreckage, and  made certain it is not sitting on  our

doorstep. We must know the fate of these ships. "

Drayson nodded thoughtfully.  "Then I  think you  should take  Ayddar's

information to Princess Leia, and make that recommendation. Perhaps  she'll

allow you to persuade her. "

"I fear otherwise, " said Ackbar. "Still, I can but try. "

"I wish you success. In the meantime--can you see your way to-"  Ackbar

pressed a datacard into Drayson's hand. "The list of the missing ships, and

the mystery shipyards. "

Two other  runners  were  in  sight now  and  drawing  nearer.  With  a

perfectly practiced casualness, Drayson made the datacard disappear into  a

pocket. "I'll do what I  can, " he said, and  flashed a stage smile.  "Nice

seeing you again, Admiral. "

At the pace  at which Drayson  then struck out  down the track,  Ackbar

doubted that any other runner would head him.

Chapter 8

"Let me make sure I understand, " said Princess Leia, turning away from

the broad windows of the executive  conference room to face Admiral  Ackbar

and General A'baht. "No one has seen any of these vessels for ten years-and

that's why you're worried about them? "

Ackbar and A'baht exchanged looks, negotiating who would answer.

"Essentially, that is correct-" said Ackbar, who lost.

"Why doesn't it  sound as  silly to  you as it  does to  me? I  believe

you're worried about literally nothing. "

Ackbar cleared  his throat.  "Princess,  you know  the price  of  being

wrong. It can be a fatal error to underestimate an enemy's strength, or the

seriousness of a threat.  Our own success against  the Empire owed much  to

the Emperor's making exactly that error. "

"Better to take  precautions that aren't  needed than to  fail to  take

them when they are, " A'baht said, almost to himself.

"No one is going to attack the New Republic, " Leia said flatly.

Both Ackbar  and A'baht  were  taken aback  by her  pronouncement.  "If

you're so sure of that,  then let's mothball the  Fleet and muster out  the

troops, " A'baht said  scornfully. "I'm sure we  all have better things  we

could be doing. "

"General, it's because of the Fleet that no one's going to attack us, "

said Leia. "Ackbar tells me  we can now call on  more ships than fought  on

both sides in the largest  battle of the Rebellion.  Do I have that  right,

Admiral? "

Ackbar nodded silently.

"That's more than  enough to bloody  the nose of  anyone who makes  the

mistake of taking a  swing at us.  And everyone out there  knows it, "  she

said. "They have more to  gain by joining us than  they do by opposing  us.

Look  at   the  Duskhan   League-they  clearly   represent  a   first-order

civilization,  economically  and  technologically.  What  are  they  doing?

They're here negotiating with us. "

The general remained undeterred. "To take your metaphor, Princess,  one

swing can both start and end a fight if it comes without warning. "

"Are we suddenly more vulnerable to surprise attack than we were a week

ago? "

"No, Princess-"

"Then are  you  telling me  that  we've  always been  vulnerable  to  a

surprise attack? "

"I'm telling you that  there's more to being  ready to defend  yourself

than posting sentries at the border,  " said A'baht, a touch of  impatience

in his tone. "You must plan, and  you must train, for the battle you  don't

want to fight, against the enemy you don't want to face, on the ground  you

don't want  to  defend.  Then,  and  only then,  do  you  have  a  credible

deterrent. "

She turned quickly to face Ackbar. "And haven't you done that, Admiral?

Haven't you  seen  to  it  that  our  forces  are  thoroughly  trained  and

thoughtfully deployed? If not, I'm afraid I may have to fire you. "

"Yes, we have done those things, Princess-"

"Then will you explain to eneral A'baht-"

"-but there is  more to consider,  " Ackbar said  forcefully. "If  this

Black Fleet  exists, and  if  it is  operational,  it represents  a  secret

weapon. And it is  the nature of  secret weapons to  upset all the  careful

planning of one's adversaries. Indeed, Princess, that is their purpose. "

Leia looked down and  studied the list displayed  on her datapad,  then

shook her head. "Do these ships really represent a threat on that scale? "

"Yes, "  A'baht  said  firmly.  "The  Empire's  standard  Sector  Group

strength was only twenty-four Star  Destroyers. They were able to  exercise

control over an entire system with a single Imperial-class ship. They  were

able to  overwhelm anything  up  to a  Class  Four planetary  defense  with

one-third of a Sector Group. "

Closing her datapad, Leia studied A'baht next.

"But those were the Empire's best, and fully equipped with the Empire's

best. When a capital warship is in the yards, does the crew ordinarily stay

aboard? "

"No, of course not. "

"What about the troops, the fighters? Are they kept aboard? "

"I suspect the Princess knows better, " said A'baht.

"When a ship is laid up for any significant time, its complement  would

normally be reassigned. "

"So-let's say that all  of these ships fell  into other hands when  the

Empire withdrew. They'd be empty shells. They won't have six TIE  squadrons

aboard. They  won't  have a  division  of stormtroopers.  They  won't  have

assault gunboats. They won't have an army of ATATs. "

A'baht was unmoved. "The Princess is grasping at straws, " he said.

"The greatest threat in this situation  is that those ships never  left

Imperial hands, or that region of space. "

"They couldn't have been on continuous deployment for ten years, " Leia

protested.

"No, " said  Ackbar. "But  there are  more than  two hundred  inhabited

worlds in Hatawa and Farlax, many of which we still know little about. Some

may still be friends with our enemies. And there is still the matter of the

five unknown shipyards used by the Black Sword Command. No matter who  owns

them, I would like to know what has come off the ways in those ten years. "

Pressed from both sides, by one she knew and trusted and by another she

did not know but respected, Leia relented. "I really don't need this  right

now, " she said, sighing. 'What exactly are you recommending? "

"Princess, the  Fifth  Fleet is  about  to sail  on  its  show-the-flag

excursion, " said A'baht.  "I would suggest to  you that searching for  the

Black Fleet would be a better use of those ships. "

"You want to take the entire Fifth into Hatawa and Farlax? "

"I would not  want to find  the Black  Fleet with anything  less at  my

command Princess. "

You realize, of course, that the Koornacht Cluster is in Farlax. "

Ackbar nodded. "Yes--of course. "

"Then you realize that you'll have to exempt Koornacht from any search.

Nil Spaar has been adamant about territorial integrity, " she said.  "Their

claim extends  to  the entire  cluster.  He  hasn't even  agreed  to  grant

emergency landing or  pass-through rights  yet. Any  intrusion by  Republic

warships, no matter what the mission, is completely unacceptable to him and

to me. "

Once again Ackbar and A'baht exchanged glances.

This time A'baht  lost. "Princess, perhaps  you can explain  to me  the

logic in starting a search and announcing  a safe hiding place at the  same

time. "

"Ackbar said there're over two hundred inhabited worlds in that region,

" Leia said.  "That should  give you  enough to  keep you  busy until  I've

reached an agreement with the Yevetha. "

"Koornacht is centrally  located, and the  Yevetha are  technologically

adept, " said  A'baht. "It's  a likely  location for  at least  one of  the

shipyards. "

"The Yevetha hate the Empire as much as anyone, " said Leia. "They  ran

them out of Koornacht at the first  opportunity. You can be sure there  are

no secret weapons hidden there. "

"Perhaps. And perhaps Nil Spaar will view the missing vessels with more

alarm than you have, " said A'baht. "Why not ask him for permission for  my

ships to  search the  Cluster for  the Black  Fleet? Make  him say  no  for

himself. "

"You obviously don't understand the situation with the Yevetha, or  you

would never make such  a request, " Leia  said sharply. "Admiral Ackbar,  I

know you understand. "

"I understand  your  reluctance,  and  I  understand  General  A'baht's

concern, " said Ackbar. "Given that, as you say, the Yevetha are no friends

of the Empire, I would like to see the question put before the viceroy.  He

could surprise you. "

"No, " said Leia  with a shake  of her head. "The  question alone is  a

threat. The presence  of warships would  be an open  provocation. He  could

never agree to such a thing. "

A'baht pressed her again. "Let him say so. Put the question before him,

as the admiral suggests. "

"No, " Leia said firmly. "Don't ask me again. General, you may take the

Fifth into Hatawa and Farlax to  search for Nylykerka's phantoms. You  will

respect the boundaries asserted  by the Duskhan League,  and not enter  the

Koornacht Cluster without explicit permission from me. Is that  understood?

"

A'baht rose from his  seat and made himself  tall. "I understand, "  he

said. "Please excuse me, Princess. I have a great deal to see to. "

"Good day, General. "

He saluted smartly and was gone.

"I want your  word, too, Admiral,  " Leia said,  turning to Ackbar.  "I

won't have all my efforts with Nil Spaar compromised. I've worked very hard

to earn  his  trust.  I  don't  intend  to  lose  it  because  some  junior

intelligence analyst couldn't get his lists to agree. "

"You are Chief of State, and my superior, " said Ackbar, standing. "You

do not need my word, but I give it to you-your orders will be obeyed. But I

cannot give  you my  approval. I  believe you've  wrongly placed  a  lesser

matter above a greater one. "

"Curious-that's exactly how I felt listening to you and General A'baht,

" Leia said. "I  considered it quite  a concession on my  part to agree  to

send the Fifth into those sectors at all. You might try to appreciate  that

a little more, and lecture me a little less. "

"Han, darling? "

Han's face was buried in a pillow, and his answer was muffled.

"Um-what? "

"I'm thinking something I don't like thinking. "

Rolling over, Han made as polite a show of interest as he could  manage

half asleep. "What's that? "

"These aren't negotiations  anymore. With  Nil Spaar. All  they are  is

conversations. "

"What do you mean? "

Leia sat up in bed. "In the beginning,  I thought what I had to do  was

learn enough about them to find something they wanted-wanted enough to make

them reconsider their position. "

"You can't bargain with a man who doesn't want to buy, " Han said.

"No, " said Leia. "You're right  about that. The viceroy was sent  here

to preserve the status quo. No trade, no cultural exchange, no technical or

scientific information access, mutual agreement on borders and territories,

strict  border  controls.  To   the  Yevetha,  only   the  status  quo   is

acceptable-and the status quo is isolationism. "

"Well-that's their choice, isn't it? "

"But I want to bring N'zoth  and Coruscant closer together. This  could

be the most important alliance of the last ten years-or the next fifty. "

"There's always someone who doesn't want to join the club, " said  Han.

"Sometimes to be contrary. Sometimes because they like not having to answer

to anyone, follow  anyone elSe's  rules. Independence  is worth  something,

Leia. I knew a man on the Praff runs, name of-oh, blast, what was his name?

-Hatirma Havighasu.  He  always  worked alone.  Said  cooperation  was  for

cowards. "

"How did that work for him? "

"Well he  couldn't take  the big  jobs, of  course. Or  the ones  where

you've got to have someone to watch your back. But he was still alive  when

I moved on. I imagine he probably still is, tough as he was. "

Leia sighed. "Maybe that's it, "  she said. "Maybe the way the  Yevetha

see themselves, they have to be standing alone, owing no one anything.  The

viceroy hasn't given me a single  concrete reason to hope for an  agreement

on any terms but his-except for the fact that he comes back day after  day.

"

"Then why continue? " Han said, propping  him self up on his elbows  so

he could see her better  in the dimly lit room.  "It's been eating up  your

time and stealing your energy for two months now. "

"Because Nil Spaar's not like that, " said Leia. "He's reasonable, even

though the League  isn't ready  to be. He's  even friendly  at times,  even

though the  League doesn't  want to  be. Right  now, the  only thread  that

connects the League and the Republic is our personal relationship. "

"Pretty thin thread, isn't it? "

"I don't think so. The viceroy  is more open-minded than whoever  wrote

his orders. I  have a very  clear sense  that he wants  me to  succeed-he's

trying to give me time. He hopes I'll find a way to bring us together. "

"Are you sure you're not just trying one more time to win your argument

with Luke? "

"What do you mean? "

"If the Yevetha want to hide away  out there like so many hermits,  I'm

not sure why they should care how we feel about it, " Han said,  shrugging.

"Unless you're thinking about twisting arms. Which you probably could, this

time. "

"I'm not thinking about any such  thing, " Leia said tersely.  "Haven't

you been listening? "

"I'm just trying to figure  out why it matters so  much to you to  make

something happen when  this business  with the viceroy  is obviously  going

nowhere, " Han said defensively.

"Maybe that's  why, "  Leia said,  looking down  at her  hands.  "Maybe

because I'm the only one in that room with him. No one else can do this but

me. " She hesitated. "Maybe some little part of me is still trying to prove

that I belong here. "

"No one questions that. "

"That's kind, Han, but it's not true. It'd be no trouble at all to make

you a list of a hundred senators who'd be delighted to see me go. "

"Well-you  can't  please  everyone.  If  everybody  likes  you,  you're

probably not doing your job. "

"It's not about being  liked, " Leia said,  then hesitated. "I guess  I

question whether I belong here. "

Han rolled toward her. "Now that's just crazy. "

"No, it isn't. I never realized how much Mon Mothma did, or how hard it

was. This job is so overwhelming. Everyone always wants a piece of you.  It

takes someone special to deal with it all. "

"You are someone special, boss lady. "

"Some days I just don't  feel up to it, "  she said, shaking her  head.

"Behn-kihl-nahm,  now,  he'd  be  a   terrific  president.  He's  got   the

experience, the  insight,  the patience-he's  been  here more  than  thirty

years, Han. Half the time I feel like an accident of history. What  happens

if you  and Luke  don't get  it  into your  heads to  rescue me?  Poof.  No

Princess Leia. "

"I seem to remember  a certain feisty young  princess taking charge  of

her own rescue, "  Han said dryly. "I  don't know if any  of us would  have

gotten out of there without all of us. "

"The point is, I could easily have died on the Death Star, " Leia said.

"I don't doubt that my father was  capable of killing me to get what  Grand

Moff Tarkin wanted. "

"You never have talked about that. "

"I don't like even thinking about it, " she said.

"He didn't know you were his daughter. "

She smiled  sadly. "That  says  something, doesn't  it? Oh,  listen  to

me-I'm sounding more and more  like Luke all the time.  This is why I  hate

looking back. Nothing good comes from looking back. "

"So why are you doing it? "

"Because you asked me why these negotiations matter to me, " she said.

Then she quickly  amended her  answer, saying, "No-that's  not fair  to

you. It's not your doing. I've been lying here for an hour afraid to go  to

sleep, and I can't think of anything else but. "

"Oh, " said Han. "Did you dream about Alderaan again? "

"Twice in the  last week, "  said Leia. "And  that's another reason  to

question myself. "

"Because you have bad dreams? Anyone who was there would. "

"Tarkin said I had dictated the choice of targets for the Death  Star's

demonstration, " Leia said softly. "I haven't been able to make myself stop

hearing that. I still see the explosion. " She looked away. "And  sometimes

I can't help feeling  as though they  died because of  me. That I  survived

because I betrayed them. And what kind of qualification is that? "

"Nonsense. They died because of Tarkin, " Han said. "He only said  that

to manipulate you. I hate to see that it's still working. "

"Memories have a  long reach,  " she  said, settling  back against  her

pillows. "I just realized something else, Han. About why this matters.  And

it's a better answer to your question than my doubts about belonging  where

I am. " She shook  her head slowly and closed  her eyes. "My father did  so

much to divide the  galaxy. I feel  as though I  have to do  what I can  to

unite it. "

"You can't take all that on-"

"I can't not take it on. I have my demons, too-Luke's not the only one.

That's why you can never ask me to walk away, " Leia said. "I don't know if

I belong in this job, and it makes me bone-tired and half crazy  sometimes,

but I want to be here. Here, maybe I can make a difference. " She turned to

her husband in the darkness. "That's all I'm trying to do in that room with

Nil Spaar, Han-make a difference. Is that wrong? "

Han reached for her hand and squeezed it affectionately, forgivingly.

"No. There's  nothing  wrong  with  that. But  you  might  think  about

throwing in a vacation  here and there,  when you start  to feel the  walls

closing in. Let someone else mind the store for a while. "

"There isn't anyone  else, " she  said, with a  hint of sadness.  "They

come here to see the president. So that's who I have to be. "

"Viceroy, before we recess for the day-I wonder if I could ask a  favor

of you. "

"What is that? "

"I wonder if you might be able to satisfy my curiosity on a  historical

matter. "

Nil Spaar bowed his head. "If I can, Princess. I am not a historian. "

"This is recent history, " Leia said, "well within your own lifetime. "

"That is  no guarantee  that I  am acquainted  with the  answer, "  the

viceroy said with a smile. "But ask, and I shall see what I can tell you. "

"When the Empire  occupied the  League worlds, did  they establish  any

shipyards there? "

"Oh, yes, " Nil Spaar  said. "Several of them.  This history I am  well

acquainted with. We Yevetha are skilled in matters of making. It is a  gift

of our very being. These hands"-he waggled six long, glove-covered  fingers

before his face-"are sure.  These minds"-he tapped  his thorax, just  below

his neck-"learn quickly. But the Empire made our gifts our curse. Thousands

of my people were made to work  as slaves to repair the very machines  that

were used to oppress us, and to wage war on your Rebellion. "

"When the Empire left Koornacht-"

"They took all that they could with them, and destroyed what they could

not. The shipyards, the space ports, the power stations that fed them, even

our own few vessels killing more than six thousand Yevetha in the  process.

It was one  final act of  savagery to end  a reign of  cruelty, " said  Nil

Spaar.

"But, tell me, Princess-how  is it that you  ask this question? I  know

your face, and this is not idle curiosity. "

"No, " Leia admitted. "My defense advisers have become concerned  about

the possibility of  old Imperial capital  ships in the  patrol area of  the

Black Sword Command-Farlax and  Hatawa. It's more  a matter of  bookkeeping

than anything else,  but I've had  to give my  permission for some  further

investigation. "

"Your advisers are  only prudent  to insist on  it, "  said Nil  Spaar.

"They serve you well to worry over such things. Tell me, how many ships are

they seeking? "

"Forty-four. Viceroy, I can't offer  you anything but my goodwill.  But

you could be of great help  to me in what should  be a small matter, "  she

said. "If you  could ask your  historians to  look at the  list of  missing

ships, and relay what you can about the  fate of any that may have been  in

Koornacht-"

"You ask us to revisit old unpleasantries, " said Nil Spaar.

"I'm sorry. I was only  hoping to keep the  search vessels as far  from

Koornacht as possible-perhaps even make the search unnecessary. "

"I did not say you should not have asked. I would, in your position. "

"Thank you for understanding. "

"Nor did I say we would not help,  " Nil Spaar went on. "My mission  is

to protect my people. If I can help put the fears of your advisers to rest,

then I am serving that  duty. Give me the list.  I will transmit it to  the

proctor of records and antiquities, and we shall see what can be learned. "

"I want you to  know, Admiral, that I  do not plan to  make a habit  of

idle exercise, " said Ackbar, wheezing as he walked along the cinder  track

beside Drayson.

"I thought you should know that Leia gave him the list. "

"What? "

"At the third session, this evening. "

"She should not have done that,  " Ackbar said darkly. "What could  she

be thinking? "

"She asked the viceroy for a report on what the Yevetha know about  the

missing ships, " said Drayson, his voice calm. "In effect, she asked him to

search his own pockets, so the Fifth doesn't have to frisk him. "

"How foolish of her. "

"But logical, from a certain point of view. She trusts him. "

"Do you? "

"I'm not paid to be trusting, " said Drayson.

"And if the Yevetha are holding those ships? "

"Then these conversations with Nil Spaar are every bit as important  as

the princess believes them to be. "

"I do not like the way he has separated her from her staff. She  should

have talked  to us  before doing  this,  " Ackbar  said, shaking  his  head

slowly.

"But she didn't, " said Drayson. "There's one bright spot to  consider,

though. When he  transmits that  list home, we  should finally  be able  to

break their encryption key. The list is more than long enough, with  highly

distinctive sequences. "

Ackbar did not seem to take much comfort from Drayson's words. "In  the

meantime, we may  have tipped  our hand-and the  Fifth Fleet  sails in  two

days. What am I to tell General A'baht? "

"Nothing, " Drayson said firmly. "There's nothing we can tell him  yet.

Let's see how  the viceroy  responds to Leia's  request. That  may tell  us

something useful. "

The list Leia had given Nil Spaar was now yellowed by disinfectant  and

sealed behind  a heavy  layer of  transparent isophane.  It was  the  first

Republic artifact the viceroy had allowed into his quarters on  theAramadia

mand that only because he needed to think at length about what it meant.

For more  than an  hour he  carefully  reviewed the  plan he  had  been

following, considering  whether the  list  before him  altered any  of  its

assumptions.

In the end he concluded that it did not. All would continue as before.

Only the timetable might change.

"They know, "  he signaled his  lieutenant on N'zoth.  "Make ready.  It

will not be long. "

Then he walked  to the  bulkhead and  opened the  night-womb where  his

nesting awaited him hopefully.

He sank back into its  comforting softness and soothing scent,  letting

it enfold him  in darkness, enclose  him in shelter,  embrace him in  fond,

tender concern.  Bliss  came on  him,  and he  surrendered  to the  joy  of

reunion.

"I have good news for you, Princess,  " said Nil Spaar as they met  the

next morning in the center of the Grand Hall. As he spoke he handed a  copy

of Leia's list back to her, and she scanned it quickly. The majority of the

forty-four names had been marked, in one of two colors.

"I have consulted with  those most knowledgeable in  this matter, "  he

went on, "and they can account for all of the vessels I have indicated. The

greater number  were  destroyed in  the  shipyards at  N'zoth,  Zhina,  and

Wakiza. The others  are known  to have taken  part in  the destruction  and

retreat. "

"Viceroy, I'm  overwhelmed. This  is most  welcome news-more  than  I'd

hoped for. And to have an answer so quickly makes me all the more grateful.

"

Nil Spaar nodded. "No great  difficulty was involved, Princess. It  was

simply a matter where we had knowledge that you did not. Shall we sit? "

"Of course, " she said, and they settled in their familiar places.

"Viceroy, I wish that  I could repay  this favor in  kind. Is there  no

question  that  we  could  answer  for   you?  A  matter  of  science,   of

history-perhaps even your own history? The Republic has full access to  the

galactic libraries of Obra-skai. "

"No, " said Nil Spaar. "I'm sure your offer is well meant. But I do not

think your libraries  give importance to  that which the  Yevetha value.  I

feel I must tell you that those  who gave me the information you asked  for

urged me to also bring you the names of the six thousand, four hundred  and

five Yevetha who died that day. I was told I should correct you, as  parent

corrects child, telling you that your interest in the fate of machines over

the fate of living beings is unseemly. "

"But, Viceroy-"

"Now, I know you as they do not, and I know that your heart is not cold

to our loss. But, you see, here is another way we are different your people

and mine. And when the differences run so deep, it is easy to give offense.

Perhaps inevitable. It is one of the dangers of closer contact. "

"I am so sorry, Viceroy, " Leia  said. "I meant no insult to those  who

died. You  know I  only want  to try  to see  that no  one else  need  die.

Please-will you accept my apology? "

"Your apology is unnecessary, " said Nil Spaar. "I do not judge you  as

I would judge Yevetha. It is enough. Let us speak of something else. "

"Good morning,  Admiral, "  the voice  on the  comlink said.  "Are  you

alone? "

Ackbar was momentarily taken aback. "I-Yes, go ahead. "

"There's something you should know before you talk to the commander,  "

Drayson said. "Nil Spaar gave her his answer a little while ago, and it was

what she  wanted  to  hear-that  most  of  them  are  gone.  But  he  never

transmitted the list home. "

"Are you sure? "

"Yes. I don't know what he did send,  but it was far too short to  have

been the list. And there's been no reply. "

"Does this mean  that he is  lying-or that he  already knew where  they

are? "

"It may only mean  he had all  the records he  needed already at  hand.

It's impossible to say. "

"You should be telling Leia this, not me. "

"You know that's not possible. She's set on playing by the rules. "

"So what do  I tell the  general? "  Ackbar said, his  voice rising  in

exasperation. "The Fifth sails in less than forty hours. "

"You'll have a fight on your hands before that happens, " said Drayson.

"But tell him to be very, very careful. "

"-So you see, we can go back to the original plans for the Fifth Fleet,

" Leia  said. "This  needlessly provocative  mission to  Hatawa and  Farlax

isn't necessary. There's no Black Fleet hiding there. "

Admiral Ackbar scanned  the list and  handed it on  to General  A'baht,

sitting to his  right at the  great conference table.  "Princess, I do  not

believe this changes  anything, "  Ackbar said.  "It is  my intention  that

General A'baht carry out the search mission as planned. "

"I don't  understand,  Admiral, "  Leia  said, her  face  showing  open

surprise. "I went to the  viceroy and got you  the answers you wanted.  Why

won't you accept them? "

"This is meaningless, " General A'baht  said, dropping the list on  the

table. "There's no documentation, no proof. It's only their word. "

"I'm satisfied that the viceroy's word is good, " Leia said.

"Why? " challenged A'baht. "Because you  like him? Have you led such  a

sheltered life that you've never been lied to by someone you liked  before?

"

"I believe him because he wants the same things I do. "

"Or is smart enough to let you believe he does. "

"General, " Ackbar said reprovingly. "Princess, I must remind you  that

you are the one who agreed to meet with him alone. We are at a disadvantage

in judging his motives. But that is not the issue. "

"What is? "

"Whether we are ready to accept that  we are now a great power, "  said

Ackbar. "Princess, a third of that region is now aligned with the Republic.

Another third or more is unclaimed, uninhabited, or under dispute. Even  if

you accept the Duskhan hegemony over all of Koornacht, they control  barely

a tenth of the region. We have every right to be there. "

"Because no government there can stop us? " demanded Leia. "Is that the

morality you think  the New Republic  should be following?  You sound  more

like an adviser to the Emperor. "

"Leia, we must follow  our own principles, or  they are meaningless,  "

said Ackbar. "Under Article Eleven of the Charter, we proclaim a  principle

of free navigation.  Both interstellar  space and hyperspace  are owned  by

none, and  open to  all.  We recognize  no  territorial claims  beyond  the

boundaries of a single star system. Do you believe in the principle of free

navigation? "

"Of course. "

"Then there is no precedent for the Duskhan League's claim to an entire

star cluster, " said Ackbar.

"I am willing to accept that we  will choose not to enter Koornacht  at

this time. I am not willing to accept that we have no right to go there. "

"It's what the Duskhan League is willing to accept that matters here. "

"Not more than our principles, " said A'baht.

"And not more than our own security. The idea that we should stay  away

from Farlax because it might upset the Yevetha is absurd. If it comes  from

them, it's unreasonable paranoia. If  it comes from you, it's  unreasonable

timidity. "

Leia's eyes flashed dark anger. "General, you sound like you don't care

about the possibility of alienating the Duskhan League. "

"If you're afraid to offend someone,  they control you, " A'baht  said.

"And that's no way to govern. Or negotiate. No one respects weakness. "

"Is that all friendship is to you-weakness? "

"Treaties  aren't  built  on   friendship.  They're  built  on   mutual

self-interest, or they're no more than polite lies. "

"You are quite the cynic, aren't you? "

"I'm afraid the  general is right,  " said Ackbar.  "We must honor  the

same claims we make on our own behalf. But we cannot sacrifice our  freedom

of action simply to please a would-be ally. We cannot shackle our own hands

simply to  appease a  possible enemy.  If we  do, we  have given  away  our

strength to them. We have raised them  up and made them equal to when  they

are not. "

"I thought equality was another of our principles. "

"Between members of the Republic, yes. But even there, you must  admit,

some are more equal than  others, " Ackbar said. "We  must look to our  own

interests first, Princess, and our first and strongest interest here is  to

learn the fate of the Black Fleet. I would be more than glad if we  confirm

what the viceroy has told you. But we must confirm it. "

"The ships  about which  Nil  Spaar could  say  nothing are  enough  in

themselves for concern, " said A'baht.

Leia ignored  him, focusing  her attention  on Ackbar.  "You feel  that

strongly about this? "

"Yes. If you do  not agree to  let the Fleet's  orders stand, you  will

have to find someone to  replace me, " said the  Calamari. "I will have  no

choice. I cannot continue without your confidence. "

Leia closed her eyes and bowed her head slightly.

Searching her heart, she could not find the strength to resist Ackbar's

earnest certainty. How could she place her judgment above his? This was his

domain. She did not trust herself that much.

"Very well, " she said. "The orders stand. "

Han Solo  knew  that  something was  up  when  Leia came  back  to  the

president's residence in the  middle of the afternoon.  But he could  never

have guessed  what she  was going  to ask  him when  she found  him in  the

garden.

"Han, I need you to go with the Fifth Fleet on this mission. "

"What? That's crazy. What do you need me for? "

"It's A'baht,  "  she said.  "I  don't know  if  he really  accepts  my

authority and judgment. "

"Then ask Admiral Ackbar to relieve him of command. You have a right to

senior commanders you have confidence in. "

"There isn't anything I can  point to to justify  it, " Leia said.  "He

hasn't done anything wrong. I'm  just not sure what  he'll do when he's  on

his own out there. "

"That's reason enough, " said Han. ``Ackbar will understand. "

"No, " Leia said. "He won't. Han, I just have a feeling that I need  to

be there, by proxy, right at General A'baht's side. I can't explain it. The

idea of watching the Fleet sail tomorrow without a friend on board makes me

very afraid. "

"Why me? "

"You're the only person I trust completely, " said Leia. "And you  have

all the necessary clearances in place. "

"What about the kids?

"I've already talked  to Winter. She's  willing to come  back and  take

over while you're gone. "

Han glowered. "That's not the way we decided it was going to be. "

"It'll be all right. I'll spend more time here. "

"You know A'baht's going to hate  this, " said Han. "Commanders  always

hate feeling like they're being watched. And he's gonna take it out on  me.

"

"You'll bear up. "

"He's gonna expect me to  be in full uniform.  I'm gonna have to  shave

every morning-"

"I know I'm asking a lot, Han. The chances are it'll be a long,  boring

deployment. I hope it will be. "

"So why am I going? "

"Just in case I don't get my wish. "

He combed his fingers through his hair, then scratched the back of  his

neck vigorously. "Son of a-How you get me to do these things-" Leia  hugged

him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Thank you, darling. "

"Yeah, that's how. " He sighed. "I'm  gonna need to catch a shuttle  up

tonight, aren't I."

"By nine or so. They're holding a Fleet four-place for you at Eastport.

"

"Then I'd better go in. I need to pack. "

Her arms tightened around  him. "I already sent  the valet to pack  for

you, " she said. "You need to stay here and hold me until the last possible

second. "

"Right, " said Han. "That's what I was about to say. "

Chapter 9

For twenty-two  days  Colonel  Pakkpekatt's  little  armada  had  flown

station with the Teljkon vagabond in  deep space near Gmar Askilon. In  all

that time the mystery ship had done nothing to acknowledge their presence.

The vagabond had not changed course, accelerated, decelerated,  emitted

any radiation, transmitted any coherent energy, altered its heat signature,

or scanned  the armada  by any  means known  to the  New Republic.  It  was

coasting, seemingly inert, on the same heading it had been on when  spotted

by ferret IX-44 nearly three months before.

The armada had done its part to preserve the silence.

No messages  had been  sent to  the vagabond.  No active  scanners  had

painted it  with  energy.  No  ship  had  approached  closer  than  fifteen

kilometers-respecting the facts  that the  Hrasskis contact had  been at  a

radius of thirteen  klicks and  the debacle with  the frigateBoldheart  had

been at a distance of ten.

Pakkpekatt's technical  experts had  captured countless  images of  the

ship, using  every band  of the  spectrum.  They had  modeled it  in  three

dimensions for structural analysis. They had tried to correlate the visible

structure and mechanisms with known technologies.

And for all that, there was still not much basis for choosing among the

many possibilities. There were no sentient beings aboard. There were beings

aboard once, but they had abandoned it. There were beings aboard once,  but

they were long dead.

There were beings aboard, but in hibernation. There were beings aboard,

but their ship was disabled.

There were beings aboard, but they didn't consider the armada worthy of

notice. There were beings aboard, waiting for Pakkpekatt to make the  first

move. There were  beings aboard,  waiting for  Pakkpekatt to  make a  wrong

move.

It was nearly impossible to have  a conversation of any length  without

someone asking, "So, what's your guess? " Betting on one outcome or another

had become rampant, and it was all Lando could do to make himself stay  out

of the action.

But when Lobot  asked him privately,  Lando opted for  one of the  less

popular choices.

"Seems to me that this isn't much  of a destination, but it's a  pretty

good place to hide, " Lando said. "Same with the other known  sightings-all

in deep interstellar space. There's nothing  out here to bring in even  the

low-rent crowd-prospectors, smugglers, short haulers. "

"Virtually all interstellar traffic goes by way of hyperspace. "

"Which skips right over this  neighborhood, " Lando said. "Nobody  goes

to deep interstellar except  pirates, and not many  of them. This is  about

the loneliest place I've ever  seen. And, something else-this ship  doesn't

seem to be in a hurry to get anywhere else. I don't think there's anyone on

board. "

"Then what would be its purpose? "

"To hide something, "  said Lando. "To  keep something safe.  Something

incredibly valuable, considering the effort. I'm thinking what we have here

is some sort of treasury ship. "

"There are twenty-two thousand, four hundred eight known cultures which

entomb riches with the dead, " said Lobot, opening a link.

"That many? See, this could be some planetary potentate's tomb,  packed

to the scuppers with all his worldly goods. That'd explain a lot about  why

it's here, doing what it's doing. " Lando pursed his lips as he thought. "I

like this notion a lot. "

"Tomb robbers are reported to be a common problem, " said Lobot,  still

processing the link  he had  opened. "Tomb  design frequently  incorporates

traps, barriers,  dead-end passages,  false entrances,  and other  defenses

against intrusion. "

"Sounds like fun,  " said  Lando, showing  an easy  grin. "Maybe  you'd

better catalog all those defensive tricks, though. "

"I am doing so, " said Lobot. "Lando, my information suggests that tomb

thefts are common immediately after  construction is completed, unless  the

construction workers  who  have knowledge  of  the defenses  are  executed.

Perhaps this vessel has already been entered. "

"If anyone else'd gotten inside that  ship, they'd have taken her  home

with them, " said Lando, shaking his head. "She's still locked up tight and

ready to fight. You watch tomorrow,  when we violate the perimeter. If  she

doesn't put up a squawk, I'll walk back to Coruscant. "

The pilotless ferret D-89 had an appointment with an imaginary spot  in

space, twelve kilometers directly astern of the Teljkon vagabond.

Racing in on a trajectory at right  angles to that of the vagabond,  it

would slice across the imaginary defensive sphere surrounding the  vagabond

in the maneuver sailors call crossing  the T. D-89's mission was to  breach

the perimeter much  as the Hrasskis  ship had, but  not as aggressively  as

theBoldheart had.

"Minimal provocation,  minimal risk  to our  assets, "  Pakkpekatt  had

ordered.

According to  the  plan, the  ferret  would be  inside  the  vagabond's

defense perimeter for less than a second.

If the alien  vessel tried  to jump into  hyperspace, the  interdiction

pickets were directly ahead, ready to stop it.

"Like clapping your hands behind a sandfrog to make him jump into  your

net, " said Lando. "I hope the net holds, Colonel. "

"Do you have any reason to think it won't? "

Lando shrugged. "We don't know what sort of hyperspace drive that  ship

has. An interdiction field designed for our engines might not work on it. "

"It is not  a matter  of design, but  of principle.  No hyperdrive  can

operate in the shadow of a planetary gravity well. Or so I am assured by my

technicians. And I have confidence in their expertise. "

"I'll bet the captain  of theBoldheart had  confidence in his  shields,

too, " Lando said. "A pity the Intelligence Service couldn't lay hands on a

full-fledged Interdictor for this mission-"

"Here it comes, " Pakkpekatt said quietly.

"All recorders are on, " sang out Lieutenant Harona.

"All shields at full strength. All commands report ready.

Interdiction field is ready. The captain of theLightning reports he  is

standing by to pursue if needed. "

"Nobody blink, " Lando said under his breath.

In  preparation  for  the   intercept,  Pakkpekatt  had  ordered   that

theGlorious be moved back from  its usual trailing position fifteen  klicks

aft of the vagabond to the safer distance of twenty-five kilometers.

At that distance, the ferret would have been visible as a dot moving in

swiftly from the right, the vagabond as an oblong dead ahead-if either ship

had been  lit by  a  nearby sun,  carrying  running lights  or  highlighted

against the background of a bright nebula.  None of those was the case,  so

there was nothing to see.

"Tracking, " said Pakkpekatt.

A red circle appeared around the position of the alien vessel. A moving

green circle marked the progress of the ferret.

"Magnify center, right, " said the colonel.

The now familiar shadowy view of  the tail of the vagabond ship  filled

the right third of the viewscreen.

"Let's have the feed fromLightning , left, " Pakkpekatt said. The  left

section of the forward  bridge viewscreen acquired a  pale blue border  and

shimmered into a profile-view of the strange vessel.

"I want to see the range, " Pakkpekatt said.

Numbers appeared  at the  top of  the forward  viewscreen  decrementing

quickly at first,  then ever more  slowly. The two  circles on the  display

merged for a moment as the range paused at the number 12.001, then began to

increase.

Suddenly the bridge's  speakers began blasting  out a wildly  modulated

sound. It could not be called musical, but there was no other ready word to

describe the experience of it. Three men with headsets on tore them off and

threw them down, only to find the sound still hammering at them, nearly  as

loudly, from the ship's comm system.

Lando smiled in  surprise when he  discovered that the  sound was  both

familiar and new to  his ear-the same as  the Hrasskis recording, but  much

more distinct.

For the first time, he could  tell that there were two "melody"  lines,

something that only signal analyzers had been able to detect before.

There was  relief on  the  bridge when  the  signal from  the  vagabond

abruptly ceased. Its job done, D-89 continued out of the intercept area and

off the bridge display.

Almost at  the instant  D-89's tracking  circle vanished,  a  brilliant

white flash filled  all three sections  of the display,  so intensely  that

those looking that way were left momentarily blinded. When the flash faded,

the vagabond was gone  from theLightning feed and  suddenly smaller in  the

magnified view.

"What was that? " Pakkpekatt demanded.

"Target jumped-but the field held it in real-space, " said Harona.

"Target has  moved ahead  about three  kilometers. Just  sitting  there

now-no sign of sublight engine activity. "

"My heart jumped,  too, "  said Lando. "For  a moment  there I  thought

she'd blown up. Or taken a shot at us. "

They waited for nearly  an hour before deciding  that nothing else  was

going to happen. Then Pakkpe-katt ordered the spotter ships to move up, and

hadGlorious brought  back  to  its accustomed  position,  trailing  fifteen

klicks behind the vagabond.

"Briefing in my wardroom, thirty minutes, " he announced to the bridge.

"I want preliminary encounter data from all teams at that time. And I  want

the commanders of the landing teams present. "

"Did you get it? " Lando asked Lobot eagerly.

"We could not help but 'get it,  ' " said Lobot. "The same pattern  was

broadcast at multiple frequencies along  the energy spectrum, and not  only

monitored by active receivers, but induced in passive circuits. "

"Is it the same as the Hrasskis signal? It sounded like it to me. "

Artoo-Detoo chirped a short, emphatic response.

Threepio straightened  himself  to  a formal  standing  posture  before

translating. "Artoo reports that if he allows for the missing and distorted

sections of the original recording, the probability that the new signal  is

identical is greater than ninety-nine percent. "

"So we've filled in all the blanks? That's something. Do you  recognize

the language now, Threepio? "

"No, Master  Lando, "  Threepio  said with  a convincing  emulation  of

regret. "Although I am fluent in more than one thousand languages and codes

which employ single-frequency  vibrations as meaning  units, this does  not

match the syntax of any of those methods of communication. "

"Blast, " said  Lando. "I think  Pakky's about to  send in the  landing

teams, and we still don't know what  that ship's been trying to say to  us.

Keep working on it, everyone. We'll talk more when I get back. "

The captain's  wardroom  aboard  theGlorious  had  not  been  built  to

accommodate as  many bodies  as were  crowded into  it. By  the time  Lando

arrived, there  was no  room left  at the  table, and  all but  one of  the

auxiliary seats along the walls were occupied.

The vacant chair was directly behind Pakkpekatt, who was seated in  the

middle along one side of the oblong  table. Lando opted to leave the  chair

vacant, settling instead  for standing  in front  of the  panels where  the

ship's history was recounted.

"We can begin now, " Pakkpekatt said, indirectly acknowledging  Lando's

presence. "I'd  like the  report  from the  tracking  team first.  Keep  it

succinct. "

"Yes, sir, "  said a slender  officer seated to  Lando's right.  "Close

approach was twelve-point-zero-zero-one kilometers. Initial target response

occurred point-eight seconds after close  approach and lasted six  seconds.

Secondary target response occurred six seconds later-"

"Not long on patience, are they, " Lando said.

Two officers laughed, then immediately looked sheepish.

"-and resulted in an aborted  jump of two-point-eight kilometers  along

the flight vector. "

"Nor am I,  as a rule,  General Calrissian. If  you could confine  your

comments to matters germane to this meeting-"

"I think the  quick trigger these  folks have shown  is absolutely  one

hundred percent germane, " Lando said. "Whatever the meaning of that signal

we all heard, they don't wait very long for the right response on our part.

We'd better be awfully sure of ourselves the next time we cross that  line.

"

"Thank you  for  your  thoughts,  General,  "  Pakkpe-katt  said  in  a

decidedly ungrateful tone. "Was there anything else, Agent Jiod? "

The slender officer shook his head. "Only that by all appearances,  the

hyperspace entry and exit of  the target were indistinguishable from  those

of a ship equipped with our standard Class Two fusion engine and motivator.

"

"Very good, " Pakkpekatt said, glancing meaningfully at Lando.  "Report

of the scanning team, please. "

"There were  a  total of  twenty-eight  distinct variances  and  events

detected by the combined sensor array  during the encounter. The six  we've

been able to identify... "

Leaning his  broad back  against the  plaque, Lando  suffered  silently

through six more reports  before Pakkpekatt called for  the one which  most

concerned him.

"Foray commander, your report on team readiness. "

The foray commander,  Bijo Hammax, was  one of the  few officers  under

Pakkpekatt's command for whom Lando still  had any respect after a  month's

exposure. Technically astute and mentally tough, Bijo had been a member  of

the Narvath underground and fought  with the Alliance regulars through  the

last year of the Rebellion.

"The team is as ready as can  be, " Bijo said, standing slowly.  "We've

identified two suspected hatchways and a couple of candidate sites in  case

we have to cut our way in. Of course, we'll take active soundings right off

the hull  as soon  as we  have the  cofferdam up,  and be  ready to  adjust

accordingly. I've got one man  down with a cold and  not fit for work in  a

suit, but that shouldn't affect our ability to do the job. "

"Have you isolated this sick man from the rest of your team? "

"He isolated himself, at the first symptoms, " said Bijo.

"Can I assume that you'd have no problem being ready for a go order  at

fifteen hundred hours tomorrow? "

"None at all, Colonel. "

"Thank you. " As Bijo sat down, Pakkpekatt turned toward the other  end

of the room. "General Calrissian, what can you tell us about the vagabond's

hailing signal? "

Lando was taken by surprise  at being called on.  "I can tell you  that

it's a dual-frequency carrier, modulating up to a thousand times a  second.

I can tell you that the data capacity is at least fifty thousand units, and

could be ten times  that. And I can  tell you that we  still don't know  if

they're saying 'Halt or I'll shoot'  or 'Welcome to the Cold Space  Bazaar,

transmit credit information  immediately. Have your  people had any  better

luck? "

Pakkpekatt looked down the table for an answer.

"Er, the contact protocol team believes that the signal recorded by the

Hrasskis and in today's contact was an automated collision alarm, " a young

rating said, his voice touched by  nervousness. "In our opinion, it has  no

informational content. It's simply meant to be heard loudly and clearly, no

matter what sort of communications receivers an approaching ship might use.

"

Lando walked forward to the table and leaned down to rest his weight on

it. "Are you saying that the vagabond jumped to avoid a collision that  was

never going to happen? "

"You have another explanation, General? "

"How about that it was trying to get away from US? "

"Do you think the target didn't  know we were here until the  intercept

took place? "

"No, I-"

"Then why would the target wait until now to try to get away? "

"I'll give  you three  answers for  the  price of  one, "  Lando  said.

"Because some animals freeze first when a predator's nearby. Because  until

now, we hadn't made any aggressive  moves. And because we flunked  whatever

intelligence test it sent us today. "

"Mr. Taisdan, " said Pakkpekatt, keeping his steady gaze on Lando,  "is

there as much as a  minority opinion on your  team that believes we  should

wait until  we  have deciphered  what  General Calrissian  has  called  the

'intelligence test'? "

"No, sir, Colonel. "

"General Calrissian, do  you have any  clear evidence of  informational

content in the signal recorded during today's intercept? "

"No, " Lando admitted reluctantly.

"Thank you, " said Pakkpekatt.  "Captain Hammax, inform your team  that

we will begin operations at fifteen hundred hours tomorrow. Foray Team  One

will make the first attempt, in Assault Barge One. Everyone, make sure your

sections are ready. Thank you-that's all. "

Lando waited, arms crossed  over his chest, as  the other officers  and

staff filed out past him. He was like a rock in the middle of a river.

"Was there something else, General? "

"I'm just trying to find out if you and I are even on the same menu,  "

said Lando. "We waited  weeks before taking the  first tentative step,  and

now we're going to rush ahead and try to board her? Shouldn't we allow some

time to process what we've learned? "

"I am allowing  time for  that, " Pakkpekatt  said. "Why  do you  think

we're holding off until fifteen hundred hours tomorrow? "

"That's not  very blasted  much  time, "  Lando said  angrily.  "You've

bought into this collision-alarm theory because it suits your purposes.  If

you think you've seen the last of the vagabond's defenses, you should think

again. You're treating that  ship like a yacht  with a burglar alarm,  when

you should be treating it like-like a warship. "

"The assault barges are fully  armored and have augmented shields.  The

agents will be in full  armor as well, "  said Pakkpekatt. "How long  would

you have me  wait for you  while your  vaunted cyborgs and  droids fail  to

decipher something my experts tell me has no meaning to begin with? "

"Longer than twenty hours. "

"No, General, " Pakkpekatt said firmly.  "Even twenty hours may be  too

much. I will not relax for a moment until fifteen hundred hours arrives. We

took a  step forward  today.  We are  no  longer just  curious  companions,

traveling in company. Our next step  has to follow quickly, before  whoever

or whatever controls that  ship decides to act  rather than react. I  would

rather that the  foray team was  boarding the shuttle  this minute. So  use

what time I have given you. And surely you can find better uses for it than

arguing with me. "

Lando frowned, and the frown quickly turned into a sour expression.  He

started to turn away  toward the door, then  stopped and turned back,  head

held high.

"More? " asked Pakkpekatt.

"You promised that we'd be included in the boarding party. "

Pakkpekatt  showed  surprise.  "I  thought  that  with  your   apparent

disapproval of my plans, you wouldn't want to risk yourself or your  staff.

But, very  well.  There  is  one  space open  on  Barge  One.  Choose  your

representative and notify Captain Hammax within the hour. "

"One! That wasn't our  agreement-" Lando began,  warming up to  blister

the colonel's leathery hide.

"One or  none, "  Pakkpekatt  said firmly.  "Your choice.  Notify  Bijo

either way. " He swept out of the room, moving swiftly and lightly  despite

his mass, before Lando could say another word.

"All right, " said Lando with a quiet seriousness.

"Tomorrow at fifteen hundred hours, Colonel Pakkpekatt's going to  send

his brush salesmen knocking at the vagabond's door. The colonel's  accepted

an opinion that the signal is just a warning hail. I think if it were  that

easy, the vagabond wouldn't be here for us to puzzle over.

"But we're running out of time  to offer the colonel any  alternatives.

We've got one of every kind of brain there is in this room, " he said  with

a grin. "Let's do some serious brainstorming.

"Here's the situation in a nutshell We've got a good, clean capture  of

the signal  from the  vagabond. It  looks  to be  identical to  the  signal

captured by the  Hrasskis. A warning  hail? Maybe. What  else could it  be?

Maybe if we can figure out what it is, we'll be able to crack what it says.

I want to hear every idea every one  of you has. I don't care if it's  been

brought up before. "

"I am still  inclined toward  a recognition  code, "  said Lobot.  "The

telesponders on our ships  send out an ID  profile when interrogated.  This

may have been an interrogation of that sort. "

"It's thousands of modulations long. "

Lobot  considered.   "Then  perhaps   our  proximity   served  as   the

interrogation, and this was  the response. We  don't know what  information

they might consider crucial. "

"And the way the ship tried to run today, after giving the signal? "

"Failure to respond in kind. "

"They said hello, and we didn't say hello back, " said See-Threepio. "A

clear breach of etiquette. "

Lando considered. "A ship closes  with the vagabond-the vagabond  pipes

out its ID code, then listens for the same-when it doesn't come, it  treats

the approaching ship as a threat, and bolts. "

"Call and response, " said Lobot.

"Sign and countersign, "  said Lando. "It wants  to hear the  password.

But why didn't it  try again to get  away? All it would  have had to do  is

turn  to  a  new  heading.  The  interdiction  pickets  could  never   have

re-positioned themselves in time. "

"There is  a  high  probability  that  this  vessel  was  built  before

interdiction fields were invented, " said Lobot. "If we are dealing with an

automated response system,  what just  happened may have  been outside  the

parameters of the identification and security routines. "

"Okay, " said  Lando. "Maybe their  black box doesn't  look outside  to

make sure that the jump actually took place if the motivator and the  drive

report normally, it assumes that the ship jumped. And by the time all  that

was over, D-89 was long gone-no threat within the threat horizon. "

"That seems plausible. "

"I'm going to play  a hunch here  and say it's  more than plausible,  "

Lando said. "The ship  wants an answer from  anyone who comes knocking.  No

answer, no entry. And  it won't wait  around for you  to keep guessing.  It

wants the answer right away. "

See-Threepio cocked his head. "But Master Lando-what is the question? "

"That's what we have to figure out, Threepio. "

Hours of frustrating and fruitless  verbal wandering passed before  the

group finally found a path that seemed as if it might lead somewhere.

"Think, everyone-think. Let's back up and  look at this again, "  Lando

said impatiently. "You want  to lock up a  spaceship you're sending out  to

the great nowhere. You want to make sure no outsider can get in  uninvited,

but you and yours always have access"

"Excuse me,  " said  Lobot. "We  don't know  that the  builders of  the

vagabond intended to reenter it after it was launched. "

"That's true, " admitted Lando. "But if they locked the door and  threw

away the code, we might as well  go home before we get somebody killed.  We

have to assume there's a way in. "

"Very well. But I will consider this an axiom rather than a fact. "

"Here's a fact.  If I'd built  it, there'd  be at least  two ways  in-a

front door, and a back  door for when something  goes wrong with the  front

door, " Lando said.  "But, I was  saying-you don't want  to use a  physical

key, because you don't want to let anyone that close without checking  them

out. So we're  talking about a  password, basically. A  really long  binary

password. "

"Forgive me, Master Lando, but in my experience no sentient being could

remember a password of this length and complexity, " said Threepio.

"The answer might not be as long as the question-" Lando began.

"It could be longer, " said Lobot.

"That's not the point. Maybe the  question only looks long and  complex

because we don't understand it.  Human beings can remember incredibly  long

sequences if they  have meaning,  " said Lando.  "I knew  a smuggler  who'd

memorized the Hundred  Prescriptions of Alsidas  when he was  a kid  taking

religious training, and he could still rattle them off thirty years  later.

My mother knew hundreds of songs and poems by heart. And there are  species

with much better memories than human beings. "

"I don't dispute that. There are  many feats of memory recorded in  the

libraries, "  said Lobot.  "Even so,  passwords and  access codes,  whether

mathematical or linguistic, are not error-tolerant. No matter how long  the

expected response may be, it must contain no errors. "

"Well, that's  always the  problem, isn't  it? "  said Lando.  "How  do

people remember all the things they have to remember? What do they do  when

there's something they can't allow  themselves to forget? Some people  have

incredible memories,  and  others  have  trouble  remembering  their  kids'

birthdays, much less  their ID  numbers and  the access  codes for  digital

locks they haven't opened in years. So people cheat. "

"Mnemonics. "

"Yes, but they cheat in other ways, too, " said Lando. "They carry  the

passcodes with them-"

"But that compromises security. Anything that's carried can be  stolen.

"

"Right. So some try to disguise the passcode as something else-"

"That's little better. Anything that's hidden can be found. "

"Right again, " said Lando. "A pickpocket on Pyjridj once told me  that

four of every five belt pouches he saw had passcodes in them, and it rarely

took him even a minute  to find them. Sometimes  the passcode was the  only

handwritten item in the pouch. "

"You could  ask  a droid  to  remember the  passcode  for you,  "  said

Threepio. "A droid can be instructed to tell no one but you, does not  make

mistakes, and will not forget. "

"But droids can be stolen, just like pouches, " Lobot said. "Droids can

have their memories  read, or  wiped. Droids  will dump  their memory  data

under sensor-torture. Droids also know what it is that they know, which can

lead to  erratic behavior.  Droids  have revealed  criminal acts  by  their

owners, refused  orders  from  their  owners,  wiped  their  own  memories,

destroyed themselves-" To Threepio's seeming relief, Artoo interrupted  the

litany of failings with a trill.

"Artoo wishes to remind  us that all  combat astromechs have  protected

memory segments which can  be used to store  sensitive information, "  said

Threepio. "He says that in more than thirty years of operation, no captured

R2 unit has ever revealed the contents of a protected memory segment. "

"That's fine, Artoo, " said Lando. "You can tuck something away in your

memory where even you won't  know what's in it, so  you can't be forced  to

reveal it. But you can still be blown to bits or snatched away from  me-and

then what am I supposed to do? A little better shooting by the Empire,  and

the technical readouts on the Death  Star would never have reached  General

Dodonna at Yavin. "

"The key must be replicable, " Lobot said.

"Exactly, " Lando agreed. "Otherwise the key itself is the weak  point.

Like having all your riches  in a vault, and only  one guy who knows  where

the only key is. Too risky. " He stood and started to pace in the  confined

space ofLady  Luck's  galley. "Come  on,  come on-we're  getting  close  to

something here, I feel it. What  haven't we looked at? Where's the  missing

piece? "

"What about the fact that there are pairs of tones in the transmission?

" asked Lobot.

"Good, good, " said Lando rubbing his hands together.

"But are they pairs, or is it two separate channels of information?  Do

the individual modulations count, or just the pairs? Pairs, long sequences,

replications, securely  concealable-what  kinds  of  information  fit  that

description? "

Lobot could no  more have explained  how he listened  to the stream  of

data that passed through his consciousness  in the next few seconds than  a

blind man could describe fireworks, or a droid could describe giving birth.

In the early days of his training, he had imagined himself creating a sieve

to place in the torrent, a sieve  that would catch only the information  he

sought.

But that crude metaphor no longer sufficed. Now he immersed himself  in

the flow and somehow let  himself see all of it,  not just the pieces of  a

certain size or shape that fit his preconceptions. Even the flow was  under

his control-the depth, the speed, the temperature, the colors.

But all metaphors ultimately failed. In  the end, all he could say  was

that he sent out his thoughts, and brought back an answer.

"Long, unique nonrandom sequences  are found in  most genetic codes,  "

said Lobot. "The code  for a single distinctive  molecule would suffice  to

meet your conditions. "

"A genetic code? But it would only have four different pairs. "

"Only if  it were  human. The  number  of code  pairs varies  from  one

planet's life-forms to another. "

"How many pairs are there in the fragment? "

"Eighteen. "

"How many  species have  eighteen different  molecular pairs  in  their

genetic code? "

Lobot lowered his eyes for a  moment, searching for the answer.  "There

are six recorded species with eighteen-pair genetic structures. But genetic

information is not available for all known species, or for unknown species.

"

"Do any of the six have a pitch-based language? "

"One, " Lobot said. "The Qella. I am passing the genetic sample library

marker to Artoo-Detoo for analysis. "

Attoo's dome rotated left and right as the droid aligned its processors

for the task. Lights flickered on and off across the function panel.

After several seconds  the droid responded  with a single  high-pitched

beep.

"What? " demanded Lando. "What is it? "

"Master Lando, I believe the closest translation would be 'Bonanza. ' "

" Lando's face broke into a broad grin. "It matches? "

He clapped Lobot on the shoulder  enthusiastically. "Son of a- You  did

it, old buddy! "

Artoo burbled electronically.

"What's he saying? " Lando demanded.

"Artoo says that  there is a  ninety-nine-point-nine percent  certainty

that the signal  from the  ship is  a representation  of a  segment of  the

genetic code of  the Qella, "  said lobot.  "But the sequence  ends in  the

middle-it's not complete. "

"Of course not, " said Lando. "That's the answer they're  expecting-the

rest of the sequence. Is this thing a vocalization, or synthesized?  Artoo,

can you sing the next fragment? "

Artoo's coo in response sounded almost sorrowful.

"Master Lando,  an  R2 unit  has  only  a simple  vocabulator,  "  said

Threepio. "But if I may offer my assistance-"

"Offer away. "

"Sir, in order to  fulfill my primary function  as a protocol droid,  I

was constructed with  the capacity for  polyharmony. I believe  that I  can

sing the sequence, with Artoo's help. "

"Give it a try. "

For several seconds Threepio and  Artoo huddled together and  conversed

silently over the droid transmission channel, passing information in binary

far faster than Basic or Artoo's own idiosyncratic dialect would allow.

Then Threepio  straightened up,  looked toward  Lando, and  cocked  his

head.

Almost at once the room was filled  by an eerie echo of the  vagabond's

hailing signal-distinctively different,  but unmistakably the  work of  the

same composer.

"All right, "  Lando said, punching  the air with  a fist. "That's  the

key. We're going in the front door. Threepio, Lobot, tell me all about  the

Qella. Maybe we can get an edge. "

"Master Lando, for some reason I do  not understand, I do not have  any

information on the language and customs of the Qella, " said Threepio.

"But now that we know the owners  of this vessel, we must return it  to

them. It would  be a serious  breach of  etiquette to enter  it without  an

invitation. "

"Are you saying you'd refuse to send the response-"

"One moment, Lando, "  said Lobot. "I have  been accessing all  records

available  to  me,  and  I  believe  I  know  the  reason,  Threepio.   The

best-established fact seems to be that the Qella have been extinct for more

than one hundred fifty years. "

"Extinct? " Lando said in surprise. "I guess we can't hang that one  on

the Emperor. What happened to them? "

"According to a  report in the  Galactic Survey, "  Lobot said,  "their

planet appeared to  have been struck  by several large  asteroids, and  its

ecosystem destroyed. "

"That doesn't make any  sense, " said Lando  frowning. "Any world  that

could build something like  the vagabond should have  been able to push  an

off-course asteroid or three out of the way. " He shook his head.

"One mystery just leads to another. "

Nodding, Lando said, "Perhaps  the answers to all  of them wait for  us

inside the Qella vessel. "

Lando's expression darkened. "Except there isn't going to be any 'us. '

The colonel's only giving me one ticket  for the boat, and I'm pretty  sure

it doesn't come with a front-row seat. "

"I'm certain that  if you tell  him what we've  discovered, he'll  make

room for all of us, " said  Threepio. "It would be the reasonable thing  to

do. "

"Hortek are only reasonable when they don't have the upper hand, " said

Lando. "And he thinks he does. "

He paced. The others waited.

"You know, there's only one way we're  going to know if this really  is

the key, " he said finally. "Otherwise, we might just be believing what  we

want to. "

"I agree, " said Lobot.

"And Pakkpekatt's  going to  want evidence.  It's clear  that, to  him,

we're just baggage he couldn't manage to dump. I wouldn't exactly say  he's

been cooperative. "

"No, " said Lobot.

Lando nodded  slowly.  "Threepio, Artoo,  it's  been a  long  day-or  I

suppose it's night by now. And tomorrow  could be a longer one. I want  you

both to power  down, recharge,  and run  your system  optimizers. Set  your

reactivation clocks for thirteen hundred hours. That will give us plenty of

time. "

"Shouldn't we notify Colonel Pakkpekatt first, Master Lando? "

"I'll take  care  of that,  "  Lando said,  with  a glance  at  Lobot's

impassive face.

"Very well, sir. Closing down. " The droid's eyes dimmed instantly.

A moment later Artoo rolled  over to the power  port, hooked up to  it,

and echoed the acknowledgment before its displays also went dark.

Lando slid easily back into a chair at the table and studied Lobot with

one eyebrow raised questioningly.

"Are you sure about this? "

"It is our theory, "  said Lobot. "It's right  that we should take  the

risk. "

"All right, then,  " said Lando,  leaning back in  his chair. "In  that

case, you  and  I'd better  get  some rest,  too.  Tomorrow's gonna  be  an

interesting day. "

A few minutes before 1300 hours, Lando and Lobot slid into the  cockpit

couches aboardLady Luck .

"I figure we have twelve seconds minimum before they try to get a  lock

on us, " said  Lando. "I intend  to be inside  no-man's-land by then.  He's

been so scared to even ping the ship that no one on that bridge is going to

be in a hurry to point a tractor beam in that direction. "

"That will require a very high rate of acceleration. "

Lando nodded, his lips pressed tightly together.

"Yeah, we just might end up blistering the paint on oldGlorious . So it

goes. "

Lady Luckhad been flying with her engines cold, a parasite on the  side

of the cruiser,  for more than  a month. Respecting  that fact, Lando  went

through an unusually thorough  system check in  the minutes that  remained,

bringing the engines to a state of readiness just one step below going hot.

At 1300 hours exactly,  Lando thumbed the  ship's com unit.  "Threepio,

are you there? "

"Yes, Master Lando. "

"How about Artoo? "

"He reactivated  on  schedule, "  said  Threepio. "Sir,  what  did  the

colonel say when you told him our news? "

"He wasn't exactly ready to hear it, " Lando said.

"Do you remember the song from last night? "

"Yes, of course, sir. "

"Then both of you grab something  to hold on to, and, Threepio-you  get

ready to sing. "

The momentLady Luck disengaged from  the docking ring, alarms began  to

sound on the bridge ofGlorious . In moments the yacht was roaring away from

its mooring  point  and toward  the  vagabond, its  fiery  engine  exhausts

clearly visible from the bridge's forward viewports.

"What in white blazes-"  exclaimed Lieutenant Herone. "Sparks,  where's

the colonel? "

"Down in Hangar Three, with Bijo and the foray team. "

"Call him up here, " Herone said,  and took a deep breath. "Lady  Luck,

this is theGlorious  . I  order you  to come  about and  bring your  vessel

alongside. If you do not come  about immediately, I will order the  weapons

master to disable your ship. "

"You'd better  think about  that again,  Lieutenant, "  Lando  answered

breezily. "Blaster fire near the vagabond? Remember theBoldheart .

Herone sighed. "General, what do you think you're doing out there? "

"Research, " Lando said. "I'd make sure I was recording this if I  were

you. "

"Turn your ship about, General. This is your last warning. "

At that moment the bridge was  filled with the sound of the  vagabond's

keening chorus.

"Tracking! Range! " Herone called out.

"Eleven klicks and closing fast. "

"Get a tractor beam on that ship, and I mean now. "

"Ready, now, Threepio, " said Lando, his face tight with anxiety.

"Don't wait for  me. Use every  band you have.  I'll pipe the  standard

channels out from here. "

"Very well, Master Lando. I'm extremely glad the colonel agreed to  let

us test our own theory. "

"He didn't give me a Word of argument, " Lando said. "Ready-here we go.

"

There was no more than a heartbeat's hesitation between the end of  the

vagabond's transmission and Threepio's taking  up the song. Throttling  the

ship back sharply, Lando held his  breath and waited, watching the  seconds

slip by on the bridge chronometer.

"This is exciting, " Lobot said. "Thank you for inviting me. "

"Dying's exciting, too, I  hear, " Lando said,  shaking his head.  "You

pick the strangest times-What's the status of the interdiction field? "

"It's up. "

Lando peered at his instruments. "Where's that tractor beam? They can't

be this slow. What's happening? "

Glancing sideways at a display, Lobot said, "There's a secondary shield

up. The tractor beam has been deflected. "

"What? " Lando demanded. "The vagabond is protecting us? "

"Yes, "  said  Lobot.  "That appears  to  be  the case.  We  have  been

recognized. We have left the colonel's armada and joined the Qella. "

Chapter 10

In the wee  hours of the  morning of the  Fifth Fleet's departure  from

Coruscant, a dark-blue bubble-topped Fleet  speeder reached the entry  gate

at Admiral Ackbar's residence on Victory Lake. It slowed only briefly, then

was waved through, following the drive up to the house.

There was  already  a  vehicle parked  there,  a  sleek-winged  Poranji

orbital jumper-the smallest ground-to-orbit spacecraft licensed for use  on

Coruscant, and a favorite of kids with  dreams of the stars. But the  adult

who emerged from  the speeder was  not beyond the  appeal of such  glittery

attractions. Despite  the hour  and the  weight on  his shoulders,  General

Etahn A'baht paused to look over  the Poranji jumper before turning  toward

the door.

Light flooded the lawn briefly as Admiral Ackbar admitted the commander

of the Fifth Fleet. The light also revealed A'baht's tired eyes and unhappy

expression.

"Ah, Etahn, come in,  " said Ackbar, stepping  aside to clear the  way.

"Thank you for coming. I know you're needed elsewhere, and I will not  keep

you long. "

"I don't know why whatever business we have at this point couldn't have

been conducted by  holo comm,  " A'baht grumbled.  "I should  have been  at

Eastpott two hours ago as it is. "

"I am certain that the Fifth will not sail without you, General, " said

Ackbar, guiding  A'baht  through the  house.  "And  I think  you  will  not

begrudge the time. "

"I wouldn't  begrudge  it  if I  had  it.  I  could be  on  my  way  to

theIntrepid right now. I should be. "

"There is someone  I want you  to meet  before you go,  " Ackbar  said,

leading the way into a round-walled Inner room.

"It's a curious hour for a social call, " said A'baht, following.

"It would  be,  " agreed  Ackbar  as a  third  man rose  from  a  wide,

soft-cushioned chair and approached them. "Etahn, I want you to meet  Hiram

Drayson. "

"Admiral Drayson,  of Chandrila?  "  asked A'baht,  caught  uncertainly

between a salute and taking the hand offered him in greeting.

"Once upon a time, " said Drayson, smiling.

"I know of you, sir. I did not know you were still on Coruscant. "

"Let us dispense with 'sirs' and saluting, " said Ackbar. "This meeting

is quite unofficial, so it might as well be informal. "

"All right, " said A'baht. "What's this about? "

"Etahn, Hiram is the director of  Alpha Blue. Have you heard that  name

before? "

"No. "

"Good. You should not have, until now, " said Ackbar. "Hiram and  Alpha

Blue work within  Fleet Intelligence,  and beyond  its reach.  They have  a

charter which recognizes the ambiguities  of war and politics, and  inherit

the jobs which require working outside the rules of polite society. "

"Diplomatically put, " said Drayson, smiling pleasantly.

"Hiram has  some information  for  you, "  Ackbar continued.  "I  would

listen to him carefully. I  myself have found it valuable  to do so in  the

past-and to have his counsel, as well. " He nodded at Drayson.

"And now I will say good night. "

"Wait-where are you going? " asked A'baht.

"This conversation is not meant for my ears, " said Ackbar. "I am going

to the water column, to sleep. It is quite late, you know. "

A'baht watched him leave the room, then turned to Drayson. "I have  the

curious feeling that being favored with  an introduction to you is less  an

honor than a portent. "

Drayson smiled. "It  signifies that Ackbar  trusts you implicitly,  and

that's no mean compliment. But I won't deny it-introductions to me seem  to

have a way of costing folks the blessings of a peaceful sleep. "

"Just so. Well-what did you want to talk to me about? "

"Your travel plans, " said Drayson. "Come, let's sit. "

"I've been trying for months to establish some assets in the  Koornacht

Cluster, " said Drayson.  "It hasn't been  easy, even for  me. " He  smiled

self-deprecatingly.

"Traders will go to  the fringes of the  Cluster, but the deep  Cluster

worlds belonging to the  League are another  story. Apparently the  Yevetha

have a  straightforward method  of dealing  with trespassers--they  execute

them on sight. And frankly, I find that to be reason for concern in its own

right. "

"They like their privacy. "

"Perhaps a little too much, "  said Drayson. "Which is consistent  with

the behavior of the viceroy here. The  Yevetha stay in their ship, and  the

viceroy limits his  outside contacts to  a few hours  every other day  with

Leia. I don't know if there are ten of them in there, or a thousand-"

"You don't trust them, either. "

"No, I don't,  " said  Drayson. "I'm certain  that Nil  Spaar has  been

lying to Leia. The  viceroy is a  player. I haven't  quite figured out  the

game, and I can't tell how far beyond normal diplomatic posturing the  lies

go. But one thing I know for certain is that they've been learning about us

faster than  we've been  learning  about them.  That's another  reason  for

concern. "

"You think they've been studying us. "

"They'd be fools if  they weren't, and I  don't think they're fools,  "

said Drayson.  "That Yevethan  spaceship  has had  access to  the  Republic

hypernet and the planetary NCI channels  since the second day it was  here.

And the viceroy  has had  unimpeded access  to the  Chief of  State of  the

Republic. Meanwhile, I can't even confirm how many League worlds there are,

or their names and  locations. I've been shut  out completely, and I'm  not

accustomed to that happening. "

"Is that why you're  having this conversation with  me instead of  with

the princess? "

"That's one reason, " said Drayson. "The other is that you're going out

there with thirty warships, and she's not. "

"Can you tell me anything about what I'm likely to find? "

"Some. There are several worlds on the fringe of the Cluster which  are

inhabited by species  other than the  Yevetha, " said  Drayson. "Along  the

border, there's a sizable colony  of Kubaz, two small mining  installations

owned by the Morath,  and a commune of  H'kig cultists who apparently  left

Rishii over a doctrinal  conflict. A little farther  in, there's a nest  of

Corasgh established  by the  Empire  and then  abandoned, and  a  droid-run

Imperial factory farm,  likewise abandoned, which  represents a free  lunch

for any cargomaster willing to risk the trip. "

"The droids are still tending and harvesting crops? "

"Yes. Put a ship  down at the  loading docks, and  the droids fill  the

hold without even being asked! " said  Drayson. "Now, all of those are  new

since the last  general survey  of that sector,  and there  could be  more.

Based on that  survey, there  are also  at least  five indigenous  sentient

species in the Cluster, none of which have achieved hyperspace travel. Some

haven't even gotten off the ground. "

"Not a very likely place for the Empire to put a key forward  shipyard.

"

"Not with the Yevethan worlds nearby. "

"Do you think they have the ships? "

"It would have  been unusually sloppy  of the Empire  to allow that  to

happen, " said Drayson. "But I don't rule it out. "

"It would be nice to know. "

"Wouldn't it? But I  don't. Chances are you'll  end up finding out  and

telling me, instead  of the other  way around. "  Drayson rubbed his  eyes,

then finger-combed  his short  black  hair. "But  here's something  I  keep

thinking about. The Yevetha had just achieved interplanetary spaceflight at

the time of  the general  survey. Very bright,  technically clever,  rather

proud of themselves, but no threat to anyone. "

"Then the Empire shows up. "

"And puts the Yevetha  to work for a  few years in Imperial  shipyards,

building and repairing vessels which represent  a big leap beyond what  the

Yevetha had been doing  on their own. Whether  or not the Yevetha  acquired

any ships or shipyards from the Empire, they almost certainly acquired  the

knowledge of how to build them. "

"They could have created their own Black Fleet. "

"Indeed, " Drayson said. "How's your memory, General? "

"Why? "

"I'm going to teach you a code, " Drayson said. "If you begin a message

with it, that  message will come  to me  without ever being  seen at  Fleet

Headquarters. And if I send you a message, that same code will decrypt  it.

"

"I don't like this, " said A'baht, frowning deeply.

"And I don't  believe I  like you,  Admiral. If  Admiral Ackbar  hadn't

spoken up  for you,  I would  wonder at  your loyalty.  Now I  find  myself

wondering at his judgment. **** Are you  asking me to conspire with you  to

conceal information from the president or from Fleet Command? "

"Let me  answer  your question  with  a question-do  you  trust  Leia's

judgment where the viceroy and the Yevetha are concerned? "

A'baht looked away and remained mute.

"That's why, " said Drayson. "The purpose of the code isn't to  conceal

anything. Just  the reverse-it's  meant  to ensure  that  you can  get  the

information you need, and that  you can provide us  with the same in  turn.

Information that might otherwise be filtered out by the prejudices of those

who control the comm channels. "

A'baht drew a deep breath and sighed. "This is the real reason for this

meeting. "

"Only one of several,  " said Drayson. "I  want you to have  everything

you need to  do your job  out there, General.  I want you  and your  people

maintaining a high level of alertness through the whole deployment. I  want

you to see  the punch  coming, if there  is one.  I want you  to come  back

without ever having had to open your gun ports. But if you do have to  open

them, I want you to know who you're trying to kill, and why. "

"Is that all? I have people waiting for me. "

"No, " said  Drayson. "There's one  more thing. I  understand you  know

Kiles L'toth, the associate director of the Astrographic Survey  Institute.

"

"We served together in the Dornean Navy. "

"More than that, you were friends. Perhaps he even owes you a favor. "

"Now I'm sure I don't like you. You know too much. "

"You're not the first to think so, or say so, " said Drayson.

"I want a better answer than that, Admiral. What does Kiles have to  do

with this? "

"Nothing, yet, " Drayson  said. "I just think  it's been much too  long

since you and Kiles  talked. A pity there's  so little contact between  the

Fleet and  the civil  service.  Sometimes I  think they're  two  completely

disconnected worlds. "

The bark in A'baht's voice betrayed his growing anger. "Speak  plainly!

What are you getting at? "

"The Institute is a long  way from the Fleet  Office, or the Palace,  "

said Drayson. "About as far away from the Senate and the president and  the

inner circle as could be.  It must be nice  not to have everyone  breathing

down your neck. It  must be nice to  be able to just  do your job,  without

anyone questioning your every move. And they've been given everything  they

need-a whole fleet of astrographic and survey vessels. "

A'baht stared, struck silent.

"Maybe you  should  call him  before  you leave,  "  Drayson  suggested

softly.

A frown  hardened  A'baht's  gaze  still  further  as  he  weighed  the

implications. "I don't like you, no, sir, " he growled at last.

"You don't have to. "

"No, I suppose I  don't, " said A'baht,  and hesitated. "But I  suppose

you'd better teach me that bloody code after all. "

"Kiles. "

"Etahn? What are you doing calling at this hour? "

"Calling in a debt, " A'baht said.

"I'll be glad to have it paid, " said Kiles, touching the stump of  his

right leg unconsciously. "Long overdue. What do you need? "

"How  many  of  your  ships  can  you  put  together  quietly,  without

attracting a lot of attention? "

"How quickly? "

"Very. "

"Well-six, maybe. Possibly seven or eight, depending on where you  need

them. "

"Farlax Sector. "

"Ah. Not much out there right now.  Six is the best I could do  without

rolling some people out of bed, and that can't be done quietly. "

"Then six will have to be enough, " A'baht said.

"Kiles, I  need an  updated survey  of the  Koornacht Cluster  and  its

immediate neighborhood. The  old survey  just won't  do. I  can't tell  you

why-"

"I didn't ask. "

"I can't even make this an official request. "

"I figured out that this was unofficial on my own, " said L'toth.  "You

know, Etahn, things don't really change out there all that fast. "

"The things I'm worried about change all too fast, " A'baht said.

"It's not navigation that concerns you. "

"No. It's all the little flags-the who, the what, and the where. "

"Will my people be at risk out there? "

"I don't know, Kiles, " A'baht said. "I just know that if it turns  out

that they are, it'll be the most important work they've ever done. "

"All right, " Kiles said. "I can live with that. "

"I'd take my own people there if I could. You know that. "

"I do. I know you  that well. You hate to  ask for help from anyone.  I

was starting to think I was going to carry this debt to my death. "

"I need your help now, Kiles. "

"You'll have it. I'll start diverting the ships right away. "

"Thank you, old friend. "

"Good luck, Etahn, " L'toth said.  "Watch your back out there-watch  it

better than I did. "

The Fifth Fleet had marshaled at an orbital parking site called Zone 90

East. It lay just outside Coruscant's planetary shield, but within sight of

the vast military  space station  which served  it, and  through which  the

Fleet's crews and supplies flowed.

As the time for departure neared, there was little sign of sentiment or

ceremony, either on the station or the ships of the Fleet. All the  tearful

and earnest goodbyes had been said  at the Eastport, Westport, and  Newport

gates, most of  them days ago.  Almost every  one on the  crew rosters  and

everything on the manifests were already aboard.

Only the stragglers of the last watch to be recalled from liberty  were

aboard the tail-sitting shuttles that rose from the surface to the station.

Only the most urgent supplies joined the stragglers aboard the tenders  and

tugs that  moved back  and forth  between the  station and  the Fleet  like

scuttling insects.

"You should have  just gone  on up without  me, "  said Skids,  peering

worriedly ahead through the view-port for the carrier Imperious.

Tuketu's long limbs were  sprawled casually across  three of the  tug's

tiny passenger couches. "The heck with that, " he said, his tone light.  "I

never go anywhere without my triggerman. "

"We're both going to  get black-marked for sure.  We'll be lucky if  we

both don't get taken off the flight roster. "

"Well-we've been pretty lucky together, right? "

Skids shook his head, only half listening.  "I had it all timed out  to

the minute-exactly when I had to leave Noria's to get back to Newport.  How

was I supposed  to know  that a  Duraka gang was  going to  hit the  resort

exchange? "

"No way you could, Skids. So stop sweating it. "

"The police kept everything bigger than a bird on the ground for almost

eleven hours,  till they  caught them.  And  then I  get pulled  down  over

Surtsey for speeding,  trying to make  up time-over Surtsey,  mind you.  If

they've got enough aircops to patrol  Surtsey, you think they'd be able  to

catch a couple of four-foot-tall jewel thieves a little faster-"

"There she is, " Tuketu said, pointing toward the upper right corner of

the viewport.

"What? Where? Oh-all  right. Be  there in no  time now,  " Skids  said,

settling down in an empty seat. "You think they'll move Hodo up to squadron

commander? I'd rather it  was Hodo than Miranda,  myself. I don't know  how

you feel-"

"Skids-"

"What? "

"You're babbling. "

"Am I?  Okay.  You're  right,  I  am. I'll  stop,  "  Skids  said,  his

expression sheepish. "I just feel  so bad about all  this, is all. I  can't

believe it  happened. "  He  glanced at  his  watch. "Almost  twelve  hours

late-the captain's going  to stuff  us in  a drone  and use  us for  target

practice. Next time, don't wait for me. Just leave me there and go on up by

yourself! "

Standing inside the hatch of the  four-seat shuttle he had flown up  to

theGlorious , General Han Solo tugged unhappily at the stiff fabric of  his

uniform, vainly trying to make it more comfortable. He had gained weight on

two months of regular family meals, which only made matters worse. He heard

Leia's voice telling him, You look dashingly handsome, dear. It's your head

that is uncomfortable in uniform, not your body.

Sighing, he surrendered and pushed the hatch release.

The flight-deck crew already had an egress ladder in place for him, and

the deck officer was waiting at the bottom of it.

"Lieutenant, " Han said. "Permission to come aboard. "

"General Solo, sir!  Granted-welcome aboard.  I hadn't  heard that  you

were coming to see us off, sir. "

"I'm not, " said Han, smartly descending the ladder. "I'm coming  along

for the ride.  Have my gear  brought off, and  then get one  of your  ferry

pilots to take this thing back to  the station before you lock down,  would

you? "

"Yes, sir, right away.  " The lieutenant's  startled look quickly  gave

way to the  slightly worshipful eagerness  Han had learned  to expect,  but

never to accept.

"I'm just sorry you  didn't come up  in the Falcon,  sir. I would  have

liked to see her. "

"I'd kinda like  to see her  right now  myself, " said  Han. "Where  is

General A'baht? "

"The general  is not  aboard, sir.  We're expecting  him at  any  time.

Captain Morano is on the bridge. I'd be happy to show you the way. "

Looking past the lieutenant,  Han scanned the  cruiser's bay, making  a

quick inventory of its contents.

"Looks like a tight pack, " he said with a nod.

"Yes, sir.  Capacity plus.  Took  in half  a  dozen more  E-wings  this

morning. But we can still get things moved around when we need to, so  it's

not too bad. "

"Make sure you can get  them launched in a  hurry, " said Han.  "That's

what counts most in a scrap. "

"Yes, sir. Would you like that escort to the bridge now? "

"If you could just find  out where my quarters  are, that would do  for

now, " Han said, tugging at the tight collar of his shirt. "Oh, and let  me

know when General A'baht comes aboard. "

Han lay bare-chested on his back in the bunk of what until recently had

been the quarters of the  ship's surgeon. His shirt  hung from a wall  clip

nearby, and his shoes made a pile at the foot of the bunk.

It had been a long day, and Han's body wanted sleep. But the ship, like

the station, was on  Standard Time, eight hours  out of sync with  Imperial

City. Han knew from  experience that the  best way to adjust  to it was  to

extend his day further still, and turn in with the first watch. He had left

the overhead lights on as insurance against falling asleep.

But his body welcomed the quietude,  and his eyes needed rest from  the

light, and his mind wanted relief from the thoughts that gnawed at him.

Nothing felt right-being away from Leia  and the kids, going off  alone

without Luke or Chewbacca, resenting Leia for asking when she knew he could

not refuse her, hating his own inability  to say no. Somewhere he had  lost

the independence he had once cherished as his most precious possession, and

the worst part was that he knew he had given it up freely.

No-the worst part was  that here he  was, on his  own, and he  couldn't

remember how to enjoy it. It didn't feel right to be alone.

Han flung an arm across his face and tried to make it all vanish. In  a

little while, it did.

General A'baht  climbed  out of  the  Poranji jumper  with  respectable

limberness for someone his age.

"General, " the deck officer said, saluting smartly.

"Good to see  you, sir. Captain  Morano's in conference  with the  task

force captains, and the XO is on the bridge. "

"Thank you, "  A'baht said,  jumping down and  jerking a  thumb in  the

direction of the  jumper. "Find  someplace to  strap this  down, will  you,

Marty? It's borrowed, but I've taken kind of a fancy to it. "

"Yes, sir. Will do. "

There was something about the deck officer's demeanor-something in  his

voice, or the way he held his mouth-that wasn't quite right. But it  wasn't

until A'baht turned to walk forward toward  the exit that he got a clue  as

to what it was.  That was when he  saw that fully half  the bay's crew  had

stopped work to look his way. Several seemed to be wearing either  funereal

regret or indignant distress on their faces.

"Marty, what's going on? "

The deck officer  swallowed hard. "Sir,  General Han Solo  showed up  a

couple of hours ago-"

"Did he, " A'baht said thoughtfully.

"Yes, sir. I figured that  he was here to see  us off, but the  captain

put him in Dr. Archimar's quarters. "

"Did he. "

"Yes, sir. I- General, there's talk  that Solo's here to take over  the

Fleet. "

"If he is,  " A'baht  said evenly, "then  Captain Morano  gave him  the

wrong quarters. Where is General Solo now, Marty? "

"I can find out for you. He asked to be notified when you came  aboard,

sir. "

"Find out for me,  " said A'baht,  nodding. "But let me  be the one  to

give him the message. "

A smile cracked the deck officer's mask of concern.

"Yes sir. "

The first that Han knew he had  fallen asleep was when he was  startled

awake by a sharp  noise. Sitting bolt upright,  wild-eyed, he found a  tall

Dornean in a Fleet Command uniform looming  over him. The age lines on  the

Dornean's face showed that he was over a hundred years old. The bars on his

jacket showed that he was General A'baht.

"General Solo" A'baht said. "There's a rumor all over the ship that I'm

out and you're in. Want to tell me what that's about? "

"I don't know what that's about, " said Han, swinging his feet over the

side of the bunk and grasping for his shirt. Still half addled by his  nap,

he needed three swipes to grab it away from the clip. "You're the commander

of the Fifth Fleet. Nothing's changed. "

"You're here, " A'baht said, settling back against the vanity.  "That's

a change. "

Han shrugged into his shirt and began struggling with the buttons.

"Tell me about it, " he said. "Look, General, I know you don't want  me

here, and the truth  is I really don't  want to be here.  Maybe if we  give

each other some breathing  space on that understanding,  this won't be  too

bad for either of us. "

"I see I was prepared to give you too much credit on your reputation, "

said A'baht.

"What are you talking about? "

"Among the Dornean, a male is expected  to know when it is time to  put

down his babies and take up his weapon. But to be shamed into that duty  by

his female-"

"Yeah, well, tell it to someone  who cares, " Han said, annoyed.  "I've

done my turn, and then some-and if  it's not enough to satisfy you, ask  me

if it's gonna cost  me any sleep.  You're not exactly  diving on the  Death

Star in a snub fighter yourself, you know. "

A'baht laughed. "At least you have enough teeth left to bite back, " he

said. "Can I see your orders? "

"There wasn't enough time for formalities, " Han said, pushing the tail

of his shirt down  into his waistband. "Look,  I'm no diplomat-ask  anyone.

Let's try talking  plainly and  see where  that gets  us. I'm  not here  to

replace you. I wouldn't begin to know  how to fight this task force, and  I

wasn't planning on taking a crash course. "

"Very well. Why are you here, if not to replace me? "

"Now I'm giving you  too much credit. I  thought you could figure  that

one out on your own. "

"I do not enjoy the princess's full confidence. "

"Right. But I do.  So if I tell  her everything's fine, she'll  believe

it. "

"No, there must be more, "  said A'baht. "I don't enjoy the  princess's

full confidence-but she couldn't find a reason to justify replacing me.  If

you're not here to replace me, are you here to find her that reason? "

"I'm here to help you not do anything stupid, " said Han. "If it  turns

out you don't need any help with that, that's fine with me. I'll sharpen up

my barlaz game in  your rec hall, find  where your quartermaster keeps  the

medicinal dragonjuice, and catch up on my sleep. "

"She still fears an incident with the Yevetha. "

"You could say that. "

"Perhaps she should fear the Yevetha instead, " said A'baht. "I'd  like

to hear your opinions concerning the Black Fleet. "

"Outside my jurisdiction, " said Han.

"And you said you were no diplomat. "

Han grinned crookedly. "I guess Leia's been more of a bad influence  on

me than I thought. "

"Is there enough of the soldier left in you-"

"I was never, ever a soldier, General,  even when I was wearing one  of

these,  "   Han  said,   tugging  at   the  front   of  his   shirt.   "Too

independent-minded-taking orders was never my strength. I was a Rebel. "

"And now? "

"I'm-a patriot, I guess. If that's what you call someone who thinks the

New Republic has the old Empire beat all hollow. "

"Very well, " said A'baht. "Then I  ask the patriot in Han Solo to  let

me share with him a soldier's view of why we are taking this ship to Hatawa

and Farlax. "

"All right, " Han said.  "If it can wait until  all of us are a  little

more awake. "

"It can wait, but not too long, " said A'baht. "Have you eaten? "

"Nothing since my feet left the ground. "

" Then I  suggest you come  with me  to the captain's  mess, and  we'll

catch a meal while Captain Morano jumps us into the first grid. Unless your

stomach takes exception to the combination of food and hyperspace? "

"Not at all, " said Han. "That's kind of you. Let me find my shoes. "

"Oh-not entirely kind, " said A'baht.

"Oh? Is the captain's cook still struggling to master his galley? "

A'baht smiled. "Since you're senior  to me-and especially since  you're

Han Solo-your presence is a problem for  me where the crew is concerned,  "

he said. "If you will allow it, I'd like to use your presence to  underline

the seriousness of this mission, and  turn a negative into a positive.  And

having you  seen as  my guest  aboard  will kill  the rumors  your  arrival

spawned faster than any announcement I could make. "

Han nodded. "Let's do it, then. I'm not here to make your job harder. "

At 2440 hours exactly, between the  para rolls and the Dornean  brandy,

the  Fifth  Fleet  jumped  into  Hatawa  Sector.  The  search  for   Ayddar

Nylykerka's Black Fleet had begun.

Chapter 11

By the time Colonel  Pakkpekatt reached a comm  station, Lady Luck  had

moved within two kilometers of the vagabond and was closing at a  leisurely

rate that would nonetheless place it alongside in a matter of minutes.  The

sight of  it  brought the  threat  ruffles  on Pakkpekatt's  back  to  full

flourish, and his throat turned crimson-a display no one in his bridge crew

had ever seen before.

"Calrissian, you are a madman, " said Pakkpekatt with an icy  evenness.

"You will lose more than your commission over this, I promise you that. "

"Colonel, I'll take that  as your promise to  do everything you can  to

help keep me alive  long enough to  satisfy your fine  sense of outrage.  I

understand the Fleet doesn't allow you to court-martial a corpse. "

"There are other uses for corpses, " said Pakkpekatt with a cold smile.

"While  you  are  still  alive,  perhaps  you  would  like  to  place  your

justifications on the record. "

"Gladly, " said Lando. "Your decision to exclude us from the foray team

endangered not only the lives of Bijo  and his men, but the whole  mission.

And your attitude during yesterday's briefing convinced me that you'd never

give any real weight to anything we brought to the table-"

"You mean to blame me for your recklessness? "

Pakkpekatt raged, his  frosty reserve  vaporizing in  an instant.  "You

brought  nothing  to  the  table.  You  obviously  came  here  with  secret

information about this vessel, which you denied having, and denied to us. "

"Secret information? What're you blathering about, Colonel? "

"You as much as admitted  it. You are the one  who knew that the  foray

team would  be  in  danger.  You  knew that  the  target  was  expecting  a

countersign, which you already possessed. "

"Colonel, you don't know what you're talking about. I had a hunch about

what the builders of this ship out  here were doing, and this was the  only

way to play my hunch. "

"You expect me to believe that you risked your lives and your ship on a

'hunch'? "

Lando chuckled, a low, smooth  sound. "You've never played sabacc  with

me, have you, Colonel? You have to be willing to lose big if you're  hoping

to win big. No one ever got rich wagering one credit at a time. "

"I hope you've  enjoyed your  little game,  General. But  I had  always

understood that hiding cards was considered dishonest. "

"Colonel, we didn't have any secret information. We simply happened  to

look in the right place in the Imperial archives, and just barely in  time,

too. Now we're in, and  we're going to do what  we can while we're here.  I

trust you have the recorders running by now? "

Pakkpekatt muted the link and looked away from the comm unit toward his

operations officer. "Do we  have the recording of  the key signalLady  Luck

used to enter the restricted zone? "

"Yes, sir. "

"Is the tractor beam on D-89 strong enough to tie upLady Luck ? "

"Easily, " said the operations officer with contempt.

"She's just a civilian pleasure yacht. "

"Is the interdiction field up? "

"Yes, sir, the field is operational. "

"Then queue up that key,  and get ready to send  the picket in to  yank

them out of there. " Pakkpekatt turned back to the comm unit and opened the

link.

"We're doing the best we can, "  he told Lando. "But some systems  were

in the middle of  a calibration diagnostic, getting  ready for our  attempt

later today, and they're not back up yet. Can you stand off at your present

range and give us a little time? A few minutes ought to be enough. "

"I guess that's reasonable enough. But I hope you're not thinking about

trying to send  the foray team  in, " Lando  said warningly. "We've  talked

about it here, and we have doubts that the key will work a second time. "

"No, " said Pakkpekatt, "we have no plans to do that. Just stand by. "

He broke the link. "Ready? "

"Yes, sir. "

"Then do it. "

Since making its  pass at the  vagabond the day  before, D-89 had  been

flying formation withGlorious , awaiting its next job as the second spotter

platform for  the long-range  stereo recordings  to be  made of  the  foray

team's contact. When its realspace engines suddenly roared to life, it  had

only a few kilometers  to cover before reaching  the invisible boundary  of

the vagabond's security sphere.

D-89 was still accelerating when the vagabond hailed it-a signal  heard

on boardLady  Luck andGlorious  as well.  Lobot was  the first  aboard  the

former to  realize  the  cause. "There's  another  vessel  approaching  the

vagabond. "

Almost at the same time, Threepio said, "Master Lando, that is not  the

same sequence. "

"I know, " said Lando grimly. "I can  hear it. Ah, I was afraid he  was

going to try this-"  The signal from the  vagabond ended, and the  response

began, relayed  fromGlorious  through  D-89's own  transmitters.  But  even

before the response was  complete, a fierce blue  light began dancing  over

the entire aft third of the vagabond's hull.

"Hold on, everyone! " Lando cried on seeing it. He threw himself across

the console, reaching for  the control that  would boostLady Luck's  combat

shields with the full output of her engines.

But his hand had  not reached the switch  when the cockpit was  flooded

with light, a light so harsh that  even Threepio flinched from it, a  light

so cold that it made  Lando shiver. Half a dozen  alarms began to sound  at

once, as though the yacht itself were crying out in surprise.

And piercing the cacophony was the keening wail of a frantic Artoo.

From the vantage of  those watching on the  bridge of theGlorious ,  it

all seemed to take only a moment, a few heartbeats. Those who glanced  down

at their consoles in that moment  missed it. When their heads swiveled  and

jerked upward at  the collective gasp,  all that  was left to  see was  the

sudden spreading cloud  of flotsam  in space  between the  cruiser and  the

vagabond.

The blue glow had  made the vagabond suddenly  bright on the  cruiser's

screens. Then three beams  of energy had  lanced out from  the tail of  the

ship, knifing  across space  like searchlights,  sweeping toward  the  same

target. The  beams intersected,  merged, and  at that  moment, that  point,

there was a small but spectacularly intense explosion.

At the same time, all the telemetry from D-89 vanished from the  bridge

consoles of theGlorious .

Then the lances disappeared as quickly as they had appeared, and  there

was silence.  The vagabond  dropped back  into near  invisibility as  small

secondary explosions lit the  atomized debris from  within, like tiny  nova

stars inside a hot nebula.

"What aboutLady  Luck  ? "  Pakkpekatt  quietly asked  a  still  shaken

tracking technician.

"We'll have to wait til the debris disperses. It's too heavily ionized.

But theMarauder still hasLady Luck on her screens. "

"How very interesting,  " Pakkpekatt  said, straightening  to his  full

height.

"Colonel,  Captain   Hannser  of   theMarauder   ,  asking   for   your

instructions. "

"Tell him  to  wait,  "  said Pakkpekatt,  turning  toward  the  bridge

windows.

"Imaging, replay the attack, half-speed. Everyone, watch your monitors.

Let's see what we can learn about the general's friends. "

One  by  one,  Lando  silenced  the  alarms-the  radiation  alarm,  the

proximity alarm, the contact alarm,  the systems alarm, the anomaly  alarm.

The ship seemed unharmed, even untouched.

"What was that? "

"I'm showing an explosion eight kilometers aft of us, " said Lobot.  "I

believe we have now seen a  demonstration of the weapons technology of  the

Qella. "

"Holy queen of sailors-tell me it wasn't the foray shuttle, Lobot. "

Lobot opened a link to one ofGlorious 's unsecured processors. "It  was

the ferret D-89. No one was on board. "

"Thank the  stars. "  With a  touch on  the console  before him,  Lando

signaled the cruiser. "Colonel, one of these days you're going to learn  to

stop ignoring what I tell you. "

"Anytime you care  to start telling  me the truth,  General, I will  be

happy to listen. "

"The truth? "

"Yes, the truth, "  Pakkpekatt snarled. "You could  begin with who  you

are working for, what's inside  the target, and why  you chose to become  a

traitor to the New Republic. The vagabond allowed you to approach, and  now

it's protecting you. "

"General, I warned you that the key  might not work a second time.  The

challenge to the ferret was different than the challenge to us-probably  to

stop someone from  doing exactly  what you tried  to do,  namely snoop  and

steal the key. If the vagabond's protecting us, it's only because it thinks

we belong here. "

"Are you  still claiming  that all  this  is simply  the outcome  of  a

gambler's lucky hunch? "

"Colonel, we're  breaking  and entering.  We're  not here  to  keep  an

appointment. "

"Then why is the vagabond still here? "

Lando looked up and stared outLady  Luck's front port. The weapon  that

had been used  against the ferret  would be equally  effective against  the

interdiction pickets.  And with  even one  of them  destroyed or  disabled,

there would be nothing to stop the vagabond's escape.

"I don't know, Colonel, " said Lando. "Maybe she's waiting for us.  I'm

going to start closing with her again and see what happens. " With a  light

touch he edged the  thruster control forward. "In  the meantime, if  you'll

stop trying to send in the cavalry long enough to listen, we'll pass  along

everything we know, or think we do. "

Artoo and Threepio had been having  their own conversation at the  rear

of the yacht's flight deck, and now Threepio stepped forward to where Lando

and Lobot sat. "Sir-"

"Wait, Threepio. "

"Sir, Artoo says that  the new sequence sent  by the Qella vessel  does

not appear in the information from the survey archives. "

"What? "

"Artoo says he is unable to  determine what the correct response  might

be. "

Lando shook his head. "I feel like I'm in a spelling bee and the kid in

front of me just went out on a  word I don't know either. Colonel, are  you

getting all this? "

"Getting it, yes. Understanding it, no. "

"We matched the original signal from  the vagabond to the genetic  code

of a species called the Qella. The correct response was the next portion of

the code, " Lando said.

"But it interrogated the ferret with a different sequence, and we don't

seem to know what comes next.  Maybe Lobot has an explanation-he's the  one

who found the match in the first place. "

"An explanation is readily  available, " Lobot said.  "But it will  not

help us with our problem. "

"I'd like to hear it anyway, " said Pakkpekatt.

Lando nodded his agreement.

"I have reviewed the history of the records concerning the Qella.  They

were discovered by the Third General Survey, which was the Republic's first

comprehensive examination of habitable worlds in the galactic arms, " Lobot

said. "But the  only report  is from  the survey  vessel. By  the time  the

contact vessel arrived eight years later,  all of the Qella were dead,  and

more than one-third of the planet was covered by ice up to a hundred meters

thick. "

"All dead? What happened? "

"An asteroid impact was postulated,  " said Lobot. "The contact  vessel

collected genetic samples and technological  artifacts from two sites,  but

it wasn't equipped for archaeological work, and there were many worlds with

live populations  waiting for  a contact  vessel. Qella  was marked  for  a

follow-up visit by an archaeological team, and the contact vessel continued

on. But there was no follow-up. "

"Why not? " Lando demanded.

"The Third General Survey was  never completed, " said Pakkpekatt.  "It

was terminated at the outbreak of the Clone Wars. "

"The colonel is correct, " Lobot said. "All survey and contact  vessels

were taken over  by the Imperial  Navy with the  Third General Survey  only

sixty-one percent complete. "

"Which means we have all the information we're going to have about  the

Qella? " Lando  asked. "There must  be more somewhere.  They obviously  had

inter-stellar travel. They must have had neighbors, trading partners-"

"Perhaps the colonel's staff can locate such information, " said Lobot.

"I have been unable to locate any  other references to this planet and  its

inhabitants. "

"I have people working on it, " Pakkpekatt said curtly. "If I had  been

given this information when you first  developed it, I might have had  some

results for you by now. "

The vagabond now nearly filledLady Luck's forward viewscreen.

"Colonel, you can deal two different players the same hand; one of them

will win with it,  and the other lose.  If we had given  you the chance  to

play our hunch, what would you have done with it?

Where would Bijo Hammax be right now? "

After a  long  pause,  the intelligence  officer  said,  "Point  taken,

General. "

"Thank you, Colonel. We're getting pretty close now, as I guess you can

tell. The way  I see  things, I'd better  start concentrating  on the  game

going on out here, " Lando said. "We'll keep in touch, but that's not going

to be my first worry. "

"If you would leave an audio channel open-"

"You'll probably want to pick up all our cockpit sensor feeds-Lobot can

route them to you. "

"We will do what we can to assist you, " said Pakkpekatt.

Lando knew that those must have been difficult words for the Hortek  to

say. "You'll hear us yell,  " he said. "But if  you'd really like to  help,

maybe you want to see what you can  do about getting a ship sent to  Qella,

fast. There may still be answers there that we're gonna need before this is

over. "

WithLady Luck  cruising slowly  along the  hull of  the vagabond  at  a

distance of only a hundred meters, Lando felt as though he were seeing  the

ship clearly for the first time.

At a distance, the hull seemed lumpy and irregular.

Up close, it looked like  nothing so much as  a bundle of massive  tree

trunks woven round with  thick, crisscrossing vines,  which had grown  into

the metallic bark.  But the  scale was  all wrong  for that  comparison-the

"vines" were large enough  in cross-section to park  the yacht inside  one,

and the "trunks" would easily have swallowed the bulk of the cruiser.

"Looks a bit like a Foss, " said Lando. "What do you think about  those

extrusions? "

"I can't tell  whether the  design is  symbolic or  functional, "  said

Lobot. "There is no repeating pattern that I can perceive. "

"Maybe those  extrusions  are  some  sort of  energy  conduit  for  the

weapons, " said Lando. "I can't see anything else that looks like a weapon.

"

"It is possible  that their weapons  use surface-charge capacitance,  "

said Lobot. "SCC is considered unsafe for task force operations, but single

vessels  can  accumulate  very  large  surface  charges  without  affecting

internal systems. Deep space is a good insulator. "

"So the entire surface might be an accumulator for that weapon we  saw?

"

"Yes. The extrusions, as you call them, increase the surface area.  The

actual weapon apertures could be quite small. "

"Perhaps we should send a greeting  message, " said Threepio. "I  would

be happy to offer my services. "

"Not yet, Threepio,  " said  Lando. "Look, there's  the primary  attach

site that Bijo  was planning to  use-there, swing  the spot up  and to  the

right. "

"That's not a hatchway, " said Lobot after a moment's inspection. "It's

a surface marking. There are no seams. "

"The secondary attach site is farther forward. We'll go take a look  at

that. "

"General Calrissian, " Pakkpekatt said.

"Yes, Colonel. "

"I thought you would like to know that IX-26 has been diverted from its

patrol in  Nouane  to  pick  up an  archaeological  team  from  the  Obroan

Institute, " said Pakkpekatt. "They are on their way to Qella now. "

"Thank you, Colonel. "

"My chief of data acquisition has asked me to relay a request to you, "

Pakkpekatt  continued.  "He  would  like  you  to  attach  a  tracking  and

monitoring limpet to the target at  first opportunity. In the foray  team's

action plan, that was considered a mission failsafe. "

"Colonel, I intend to attach this entire yacht to the vagabond, as soon

as I can figure out where to do  it. We'll do a hand attachment of a  TRAML

then, if everything's still quiet. I'm not going to fire anything at her if

I can avoid it. "

"Lando, " said Lobot suddenly. "Look. "

The surface of the  vagabond had suddenly come  alive with small,  pale

patches of light. They appeared  and disappeared in orderly patterns  along

the top  of  the hull  extrusions,  forming  sequences that  drew  the  eye

forward, and then to the edge of the curving hull, where they disappeared.

"Oh, no! Artoo,  look out!  It's getting  ready to  attack! "  Threepio

exclaimed.

"That's not what happened the last time they fired, " said Lando.

"The last time they  fired, we were two  klicks away, " Lobot  reminded

him. "We wouldn't have been able to see this stage from there. "

"Some thought here  that this  is engine  activity, and  the target  is

preparing to jump into hyperspace, " said Pakkpekatt over the comm.

"Suggest you back  away and  launch that limpet  now. You  may not  get

another chance. "

"There is another possibility,  " said Lobot. "This  could be the  next

question for us. If so, it is one we're not prepared to answer. "

"General, I strongly suggest  you drop the limpet  and get your  people

out of there, " Pakkpekatt said forcefully.

"No! " said Lando. "I want to know what's happening on the rest of  the

hull, the part we can't see. Where do the lights go? Is there a  beginning,

an end? Lobot, where are those other video feeds? "

"I am monitoring, " said Lobot. "The light streams originate at a point

aft of our position and diverge  into two streams which wind forward  along

the hull,  following the  surface contours.  Both streams  end at  separate

points on the far side of the ship. "

"Threepio, can you  make anything out  of this? We've  got two  streams

again. Is this another duet? "

"I do not recognize this  as any form of  language known to me,  Master

Lando. But perhaps it is not linguistic, but symbolic communication. "

"What are you talking about? "

"Sir, perhaps they are pointers, not streams. "

"Pointers-so which one do we follow? "

"Master Lando, might I suggest that  you follow them both, back to  the

point of divergence? "

"That's backwards! "

"Sir, the conventions of symbolic communication are not universal.  You

have been conditioned by the customs of your culture to extrapolate in  the

direction of movement, rather than to look for the source. "

"Threepio's right, " said Lobot. "You can follow a stream to its origin

or its destination.  Perhaps we've taken  so long since  we first  signaled

them that they've decided we missed the  portal, or don't know how to  find

it. "

Lando raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Backwards it is, " he said, and reached for the thruster controls.

Watching the streaming lights flicker by and disappear in the direction

of the bow, Lando could not help feeling they were going the wrong way.

But when they reached the spot from which the light seemed to appear, a

dark hole irised open there, and the streaming lights vanished.

"They're inviting us inside, " said Lobot.

"Well, I'll  be  the last  pup  of an  ion  storm-" Lando  breathed  in

delighted wonder. "So they are, Lobot. So they are. What kind of atmosphere

did the survey ship record on Qella? "

"Nitrogen seventy-five percent, carbon dioxide thirteen percent, oxygen

nine percent, water vapor  one percent, argon  one percent, traces  helium,

neon-"

"That's  enough,   "  Lando   said,  puttingLady   Luck  on   automatic

station-keeping. "The droids won't mind, but it's a bit thick for my lungs.

It's suits for us, pal. Let's go get prepped. "

The yacht's outer airlock and the  opening in the vagabond's hull  were

mismatched in  both shape  and size.  The solution  was an  old  invention,

elegant in its simplicity, which Lando  had made standard equipment on  all

his  vessels-an  extensible  cofferdam.   Flexible  yet  vapor-tight,   the

cofferdam could telescope out from the  hull ofLady Luck and attach  itself

to the other ship, forming an enclosed tunnel between the airlocks.

Lando locked the helmet of  his suit in place  with a twist and  looked

across the compartment at Lobot.

"Everything all right? "  he called, more  loudly than necessary.  He'd

spent as  little  time  as  possible  in  space-suits  and  still  had  the

neophyte's reflex of trying to shout through the faceplate.

"Everything is  fine,  "  said  Lobot. "I  have  nominal  pressure  and

temperature, and there is minimal interference. "

"All right, then. Extending the cofferdam. "

Lando pressed the  switch, engaging a  specialized autopilot which  not

only controlled the movement of the tunnel of rings, but took over thruster

control forLady  Luck  as well.  The  autopilot reported  its  progress  in

relentless detail, which Lando ignored until just before contact.

"Beginning cofferdam attach sequence.  Attempting magnetic lock, "  the

autopilot announced.

"Testing. Magnetic lock failed. Attempting negative pressure lock.

Testing. Pressure lock failed. Attempting Chemical Lock One.

Testing. Chemical Lock One failed-"

"What's that hull made of? " Lando demanded.

"We may have to free-fly over there, " said Lobot.

"You sound almost hopeful. "

"I've learned that it's something many people try on their vacations. "

"-Attempting Chemical Lock Three. Testing. Chemical Lock Three  failed.

Attempting Mechanical Lock One. Testing. Mechanical Lock One holding. "

Mechanical Lock  One consisted  of thousands  of tiny  composite  barbs

attached to monomolecular threads. The barbs were driven into the hull like

so many anchors, and then the  slack was taken up, pulling the  cofferdam's

ring seal snug against the surface.

"Any change, Colonel? " asked Lando.

"No change, General. "

"She doesn't seem to have felt it, " said Lando to his companions.

"Pressurizing the cofferdam. " They could not hear the hissing, but the

transfer pumps made the deck under  their feet vibrate. "Looks like a  good

seal. Pressure is holding. "

"Good luck, General,  " said  Pakkpekatt, reduced  now to  the role  of

spectator. "I envy you. "

Lando drew a  deep breath  and offered a  jaunty grin.  "I might  trade

places with you if I could, Colonel, " he said. "Lobot, if you lose contact

with me, take the ship out of here. Don't come in after me. "

Lobot cocked a questioning eyebrow. "Do you really expect me to  follow

that order? "

"Well... " Lando said,  and the grin returned.  "At least wait until  I

yell twice. "

"Good luck, Lando, " Lobot said, and opened the inner airlock.

"Do be careful, Master Lando, " Threepio called after him.

The cofferdam's rigid  rings had handholds  spaced at intervals,  which

Lando used to pull himself along through the five-meter-long tunnel between

the ships.

He paused  outside the  vagabond's portal  to switch  on his  suit  and

helmet spots, as  the chamber beyond  was still lit  only by the  overspill

from the lamps atLady Luck's airlock.

With his own spotlights  on, Lando's shadow no  longer led the way  for

him. But the lights revealed little detail inside the Qella vessel-only  an

empty space en closed by blank walls of the same mottled color as the  hull

itself.

Grasping the  upper rim  of  the opening,  Lando  raised his  feet  and

floated himself through, twisting  to look in all  directions. He had  half

expected lights to come on as he entered, but that did not happen.

But the lights he wore were enough to assure him that he was alone.

"All right,  I'm in,  " said  Lando. "This  chamber is  about twice  my

height in every dimension-plenty of room for all four of us. No response to

my presence yet.  There's no light,  and there doesn't  seem to be  another

doorway. But then, I can't see any mechanism for the hatch I came  through,

so maybe I just can't recognize the exit. "

"Watch your assumptions, " said a new voice-Bijo Hammax. "Just  because

you came out through a double-hatch airlock doesn't mean that's what you've

entered. "

"Hey, Bijo! I thought you'd be sore at me for stealing your date. "

"I decided to wait and see what happened, " said Hammax. "If she  kills

you, I plan to forgive you. "

"Thanks, buddy, " said  Lando, turning. "Wait, here's  something-that's

oddre" Looking back toward the outer  hull, Lando thought he could see  the

attachment ring through the wall of the chamber, encircling the opening  as

a faint gray shadow.  He turned off  his suit lights,  and the ring  became

more distinct.

"Why have you turned your lights off, General? "

"Can you see this? "  Lando demanded. "I don't know  why or how, but  I

can see the attachment  ring through the bulkhead.  There's a gray ring,  a

shadow, exactly that size, visible on the inside. "

"Not visible on the relay. Are you saying that the hull is translucent,

Lando? " asked Lobot.

"Well-yes. Where're the  ship's spots?  Can you sweep  them across  the

outside? "

"Coming up. "

WithLady Luck's brilliant spotlights trained on the hull, there was  no

mistaking the  sight-the  whole  bulkhead  glowed  faintly,  and  the  ring

darkened to  a sharp-edged  black  shadow. When  Lando brushed  his  gloved

fingertips across the surface, he could  feel that the shadow was  slightly

raised.

"It's almost like a bruise, " he said. "Like the hull is swelling where

those thousands of  tiny grapples  have grabbed on  to it.  Artoo, come  in

here. I want you to scan and record this. "

"That  could  be  a  self-repair  function  at  work,  "  said  Hammax.

"Mechanical One does do some microscopic damage to the attach point. As for

the translucent hull-General, you may have  discovered why the ship has  so

few surface  features.  We're not  seeing  the  true hull,  just  an  outer

membrane, probably differentially transparent to radiation. All the sensors

are concealed underneath. "

By the time  Hammax finished  his speculations, Artoo  appeared at  the

portal. He chirped at Lando, then entered when Lando waved him in.

The lack of handholds in the chamber was not the problem for the  droid

that it was for  the general. Thanks  to the array  of small gas  thrusters

built into all astromech droids,  Artoo's motions were far more  controlled

than Lando's-who  found he  kept  drifting into  one bulkhead  or  another,

slowly twisting from side to side and turning end over end.

"You getting a better image now? " Lando called.

"Much clearer, " said Lobot. "Are you ready for the rest of us? "

"There's nothing  else  to see,  "  said Lando,  switching  his  suit's

floodlamps back on. "The bulkheads are completely bare. "

"Does it appear  to be the  same material  as the outer  hull? "  asked

Hammax. "If so, there  could be any  kind or number  of sensors or  weapons

concealed underneath  it. They  could  use that  material  the way  we  use

one-way mirrors. For  all we know,  they could be  as close to  you as  the

nearest bulkhead, watching and listening. "

"Thank you for  that thought, "  said Lando.  "But if this  is a  Qella

ship, it's a dead ship. It's been in space too long. And, Colonel, this  is

starting to look like a dead end. We may have to make our own entrance. "

"Lando, remember what  we talked  about yesterday, "  said Lobot.  "Any

obvious path, any unlocked passageway,  may be a trap.  If there was a  big

red switch in  the middle of  one of those  walls, I wouldn't  want you  to

touch it. Access must require more than observation-it requires  knowledge.

The perfect lock is invisible to you and self-evident to the Qella. "

"Maybe there's  something about  the mottling  on these  walls, "  said

Lando, craning his head. "It's the only thing in here I can see that  could

carry information. Lobot, Threepio, why don't you come on over and see what

you can make of it. Bring the equipment sled with you, too. Artoo's  making

out like a fish in water, but the  rest of us can use something to hang  on

to. "

Lando sighed and  touched a  suit control  to blow  a jet  of cool  air

across his face. "I haven't a clue, " he said finally. "Colonel?

Anything there? "

It was Bijo Hammax who replied, "No. We're stumped here, Lando. "

"Being stumped was  my best strategy,  " Lando said  forlornly. "I  was

hoping that if we showed ourselves  to be slow learners again, they'd  give

us another hint. "

Bijo laughed.

"Maybe if we touch the right pattern of spots, " Lobot suggested.

"I touched about  thirty spots  already before  you got  here, with  my

head, my elbows, my bottom, my knees-"

"I said the right pattern, not a random pattern. "

"So tell me what the right pattern is, " Lando said sharply. "Light  or

dark? Fast or slow? Left to right or top to bottom? "

"I don't know, " Lobot said. "I'm sorry. "

"Aw-it's not your fault. What we need  right now is a Qella brain,  and

we're fresh out of them. I knew I'd forget to pack something. "

"Lando-"

"What? "

"Have you ever seen Donadi stain-painting? "

"What? Lobot, you've  picked a  strange time to  start practicing  idle

conversation. "

"Answer my question, " Lobot said shortly.

"All right-no, I haven't. What's that got to do with anything? "

"To human perception, stain-painting consists of huge canvases  covered

with random splotches of color. The Donadi sit and stare at a painting  for

ten minutes or more at a time. If they stare long enough, and practice what

they call 'looking past, ' something happens in their brain that turns  the

splotches into a three-dimensional image. "

"I've seen it, " said Hammax. "Strangest thing. The Donadi go into this

meditation thing and end up in a state of high rapture over something  that

might as well be a hallucination. "

"But it isn't a hallucination, "  said Lobot. "A Donadi painting  isn't

an image-it's a  stimulus to the  perception of an  image. The image  isn't

real, but it's contained  in the painting all  the same. It's a  perceptual

trick, and it only works for their species. "

"You think maybe if  a Qella came  in here, he'd  see the answer  right

away? "

"I'm saying that these markings may  have been made not just for  Qella

eyes, but for Qella minds. "

Lando frowned and shook his head.  "Even if you're right, that  doesn't

get us any closer. "

"Artoo is the only one  of us capable of  seeing the entire chamber  at

once. I can send  him alternate sets of  perceptual parameters, which I  am

retrieving now from the Institute for Sentient Studies on Baraboo.

They have the  most comprehensive collection  of neurocognitive  models

that exists. Artoo can  reprocess the image according  to the parameters  I

provide, and project it for us to see. "

"Sounds a lot like trying to fill out a sabacc on a draw of four  cards

to me. "

"Luck is chance informed by applied knowledge, " said Lobot. "You  said

so yourself. "

"I did? "

"You did. Stand by. "

It is said on Gaios that a seed does not know the flower that  produced

it. What is true of seeds and flowers is true of civilizations and  worlds.

In the long history of the galaxy, many a family tree has grown too tangled

to be clearly remenbered by either ancestor or descendant.

On a thousand thousand  worlds and more,  life erupted from  creation's

crucible of energy and time-and vanished into extinction in an eyeblink.

On a hundred thousand worlds and  more, life erupted from the  crucible

and would not  be dislodged,  brandishing cleverness and  fecundity as  its

weapons against entropy and change.

On ten thousand  worlds and more,  life erupted from  the crucible  and

then  transcended  it,  learning  to  bridge  the  unbridgeable  distances,

venturing forth as explorer, and settler, and conqueror to worlds far  from

that which gave it birth.

And some of those worlds touched with  the gift of life in time  passed

it on to their own children, until the gift had been passed across the eons

to a  million worlds,  flower  begetting seed  begetting flower  until  the

galaxy itself sang of it. But in all the history of all that is, no species

anywhere has ever known its whole  heritage, for memories are shorter  than

forever, and  the only  witness to  those hard  first births  is the  Force

itself.

The people who  called themselves the  Qella had no  children of  their

own. No colony worlds owed them allegiance. No free worlds owed them honor.

The Qella had possessed  the tools to leave  their homeworld, but they  had

lacked a sufficient reason.

But the Qella  had parents,  parents they scarcely  remembered, but  to

whom much of what they  were and knew could be  traced. The parents of  the

Qella had called themselves the Qonet, and they had had many offspring,  as

had their parents, who called themselves the Ahra Naffi.

So although  the Qella  had  no children,  they  had siblings  in  some

number, and cousins close and distant in numbers beyond counting.

It was with the hope of finding  such kin as the Qella might have  that

Lobot sifted the archives of the Institute for Sentient Studies. Lobot knew

no more  about  the  family  history  of  the  Qella  than  did  the  Qella

themselves, but he knew the patterns and principles that applied. His  hope

depended  not  on  luck  but   on  a  well-chosen  search  algorithm,   the

thoroughness of the archivists, and the fruitfulness and resilience of  the

Ahra Naffi line.

Or, at least, so Lobot would forever claim. Luck was Lando's game,  and

Lobot  preferred  to  distance  himself  from  anything  so  ephemeral  and

unpredictable.

It was a  silent rivalry,  and Lobot  took unvoiced  pleasure from  the

times when Lando's  way failed  him and  Lobot's own  succeeded. He  prided

himself on playing  a more  precise and controlled  line, where  competence

counted for more  than chance and  diligence was rewarded  more often  than

daring.

This time the reward was the mind-prints of the Khotta, of Kho Nai.

The image  Artoo was  projecting covered  only part  of one  wall,  but

incorporated the patterns  of the entire  chamber as they  would have  been

perceived by a Khotta. Compressed,  processed, and translated, they  needed

no explanation. The entire image had  but one focal point and one  possible

meaning.

"There, " said Lando. "In that corner. There's your big red switch. "

"I don't see anything, " Threepio declared. "Artoo, you must be  making

a mistake. "

"You're not supposed to see it, " said Lando. "Not unless you have  the

right eyes.  But it's  there. "  Pushing off  from the  equipment sled,  he

floated toward the corner.

"General Calrissian? Hammax here.  Suggest you have  your R2 unit  make

the initial contact with its claw arm. "

"Where's the colonel? "

"Colonel Pakkpekatt is monitoring. "

"Tell him I wish he was here, " said Lando. "Okay, Artoo. You have  the

spot zeroed in? "

Artoo chittered enthusiastically.

"Okay-let's ring the bell. "

Artoo rose  from the  equipment sled  where he  had been  clinging  and

jetted across the open space. The droid's left equipment door snapped open,

and the telescoping claw arm extended toward a spot along the curved corner

where the two bulkheads merged.

The claw yawned  open to  its fullest and  a moment  later touched  the

bulkhead.

Nothing happened.

"More pressure, Artoo, " said Lando.

The droid's thrusters spat plumes of vapor into the chamber, until  its

silver body was visibly vibrating.

"That's enough, Artoo, " Lando said. "Let me in there. "

"What are you thinking, General? " asked Hammax.

"That maybe this ship  knows it wasn't built  by droids, " said  Lando,

extending his gloved hand to touch the same spot Artoo had tried.

Again there was no response,  even when Lando's suit thrusters  exerted

themselves.

"We must have misread the instructions, " said Threepio. "Artoo,  could

you possibly have turned everything upside down? "

The little droid's response was indignantly terse.

"I can't get any real pressure on it, " Lando fumed.

"Maybe these Qella  were stronger  than we  are, at  least under  these

conditions. "

"Strength hasn't opened any Qella doors yet, " 'said Lobot.

Lando twisted around to look at Lobot. "No, it hasn't, has it? "

Grasping his right wrist joint, Lando squeezed the release and twisted.

"What are you doing? " Hammax protested.

"A spacesuit and a droid probably register about the same, wouldn't you

say? " With a sharp yank, Lando tugged the glove off his right hand.

The air in the chamber  was bitterly cold, and  his hand begun to  ache

almost at once. Tucking the glove under his left elbow, Lando spun back  to

face the corner and reached out to touch the bulkhead.

It retreated under  his touch, the  surface folding back  on all  sides

until there was a hole in the corner almost as large as a bubble helmet and

deep enough that Lando  was uncertain whether he  could reach the  farthest

recesses.

"He did it! " Threepio exulted.

"There's some sort of handle back here, " Lando said, peering into  the

opening. "At least, that's what it looks  like to me. Artoo, get over  here

and get a picture for the' folks at home. "

"General, suggest you reglove,  " Hammax said  while Artoo attended  to

that duty. "The handle might be keyed to Qellan biology. "

"I guess we'll find out, won't we? " Lando said.

"That's enough, Artoo. Anyone want to retreat back intoLady Luck before

I knock on the door? Counting one, two, three-"

"We're ready here, Lando, " said Lobot.

"Okay, then. " Drawing a deep breath, Lando reached with his bare  hand

for the handle deep inside the  hole. His shoulder was pressed against  the

opening before  his fingertips  brushed it.  He had  to slip  his  shoulder

inside the hole  and press  his helmet against  the bulkhead  to close  his

fingers around the handle.

"Got it,  " he  said. "What  do you  think, Lobot?  Push, pull,  twist,

lift-" But Lobot never had a chance to answer.

There was a flash of brilliant blue light outside the portal, and  when

it was gone, so was the tunnel  toLady Luck's airlock. In the next  instant

the atmosphere  in  the chamber  began  boiling out  into  space,  sweeping

everything and everyone toward the open portal.

Lando clung desperately to the handle  inside the hole, though he  lost

his grip on the glove and watched  it being whisked away beyond his  reach.

But both  Artoo  and Lobot  were  being  swept toward  the  opening,  their

thrusters unequal to the sudden windstorm.

The equipment sled, with Threepio perched atop it, spun crazily  toward

the opening as well.

The glove, far lighter and moving faster than any of the party,  struck

the outer bulkhead, rebounded, and tumbled out into space. But bare moments

before Artoo reached the opening, there suddenly was no opening. As  neatly

as the smaller  hole had  opened under  Lando's touch,  the portal  knitted

itself closed from edge to center.

Artoo , Threepio, Lobot,  and the sled all  struck an unbroken  chamber

wall-and then began sliding aft along it.

"The ship's moving!  " Lando cried,  feeling the acceleration  pressing

him more firmly against  the aft bulkhead.  "Hammax! Colonel! What's  going

on? "

There was no answer-not even static. "Anyone on theGlorious ,  respond!

"

"Lando! "  Lobot called.  "All of  my links  are gone.  We're not  just

moving. This ship just jumped into hyperspace. "

It all happened so quickly that no  one witness was certain of all  the

details.

Without warning, one of the  Qella's beam weapons slicedLady Luck  free

from  the  vagabond.   Another  pierced  the   hull  of  the   interdiction

picketKauriand left it in flames.

As the  interdiction field  collapsed, the  vagabond swung  about  with

surprising swiftness and accelerated away from its previous course.

The captain of theMarauder screamed for permission to fire-just as  the

Qella vessel seemed to suddenly stretch  to twice its true length and  then

vanish into a blinding white pinch of spacetime.

Lady Luckwas left drifting, the remnants of the cofferdam trailing from

its airlock.

"Do we have a good track? " Pakkpekatt demanded.

"Yes, sir. "

"That's something to work with, " he said.

"Sir, she jumped toward the Core. "

Pakkpekatt's expression did not change. "Dispatch a crew to recover the

yacht. BringLightning around to the target's last heading and jump her  out

ten. We'll  go  out  twenty, Marauder  thirty,  and  then walk  it  out  at

intervals of one light-year till we get to the border. She's got to be  out

there somewhere. "

"Yes, sir-but how far? She could have  jumped all the way to Byss,  for

all we know. "

The mere mention  of the  former Emperor's  throne world,  deep in  the

Core, darkened the mood on the bridge still further.

"Let's hope not, sailor, " said Pakkpekatt. "Let us earnestly hope not.

"

Chapter 12

Long before they reached Lucazec, Luke Skywalker settled onMud Sloth as

the name for Akanah s previously unnamed Verpine Adventurer.

He realized he had been  spoiled by years in high-performance  military

spacecraft, operating under wartime conditions or a military waiver.

But realizing that  didn't make  it any  easier to  adjust to  civilian

navigation restrictions. Not only wasMud Sloth a dawdler in realspace,  but

its hyperspace motivator simply refused to enter or leave hyperspace within

a planetary Flight Control Zone.

Luke didn't object in principle to FCZ regulations. They helped  ensure

that less experienced pilots in less capable ships made slow approaches  to

populated worlds and busy spacelanes. But he had never been subjected to  a

four-day realspace  crawl just  to leave  Coruscant. He  was accustomed  to

reaching for the hyperdrive moments after his ship cleared the atmosphere.

Mud Slothinsisted on waiting until it had cleared the star system.

But there was  nothing to  be done  about it.  The Adventurer  wouldn't

accept his military  waiver, and  didn't even have  a System  Configuration

option on its cockpit displays. It was designed to prevent such meddling.

Driven  by  impatience,  Luke  briefly  considered  powering  down  the

hyperdrive and opening up the service access  to see what he could do  with

it. But he soon  talked himself out of  it, realizing that reprogramming  a

motivator was beyond his talents as  a tinkerer. Even a starship as  simple

as  the  Adventurer  was  far  more  complex  than  the  Incom  T-16s   and

landspeeders he'd  spent  so  many  days hopping  and  rebuilding  back  on

Tatooine.

No, when it came to hyperspace, it  was too easy for a small  oversight

to become a final, fatal error.

Anyone who'd flown  for long had  heard the stories  and respected  the

danger. Of all the  risks inherent in  traveling unimaginable distances  at

incalculable speeds, the one that  entered most pilots' nightmares was  the

one-way jump-never coming out of hyperspace.  Even Han and Chewie left  the

exacting business of  rebalancing a motivator  to professionals, and  never

begrudged them their hefty fees.

But that had left Luke trapped in cramped quarters with Akanah for just

over eleven days on the way  to Lucazec-something he had not been  prepared

for.

After months in isolation, he had not been prepared for that much close

contact with anyone. Luke wondered how he would have borne it if Akanah had

not been so willing to make allowances.

She did not force conversation on him, either idle or earnest. Nor  did

she make him feel as though he was being watched, that she was waiting  for

him to do something. Without his ever asking, she granted him the only kind

of privacy available under  the circumstances-the privacy  of the mind  and

heart. She did  not intrude there  without his invitation,  hiding her  own

needs and curiosity so perfectly that they seemed more like comfortable old

friends than strangers.

At her suggestion, they adopted a watch schedule that had them sleeping

at opposite ends of the  day, spaced so that neither  of them had to  climb

into a hot  bunk. She seemed  to welcome the  reassurance that someone  was

awake while she rested, and did not seem to mind that the schedule  reduced

their time together to a few hours twice a day.

Luke thought Akanah must be accustomed  to being alone, for she  seemed

to have mastered the  art of keeping time  moving without restless  motion.

She read from a battered old datapad, meditated in the copilot's couch, and

intently studied the Adventurer's owner, pilot, and system helps.

At times she even sought privacy for herself.

Akanah practiced  her  Fallanassi craft  in  silence behind  the  drawn

curtain of the sleeper, and stripped to a body-hugging monoskin to exercise

only when it  was Luke's turn  in the zippered  bunkbag. She even  politely

ignored him when he made both discoveries, making it unnecessary for him to

apologize, or for her to explain.

They did take meals together, dipping twice a day into Akanah's  modest

cache  of  stabilized   foodstores-many  of   them  long-expired   Imperial

expedition packs, a telltale sign  of desperately tight finances. But  even

meals did not become  an occasion for  substantive conversation until  near

the end, with Lucazec visible through the viewport and the reason for their

journey too much in their thoughts to be ignored.

"Sixteen more hours, " Luke said, tearing open a pouch of Noryath brown

meatbread. "I hate the waiting. I want to crawl back in the bunk and  sleep

until the autopilot starts asking whether we want to orbit or land. "

"If I thought this was the end of our journey, rather than just the end

of the beginning, I might feel the  same way, " said Akanah, and sipped  at

her flask of tart pawei juice.

"Do you think  there's any chance  the Fallanassi may  have come  back,

after the war? "

"No, " said Akanah. "You see, the  Empire feared us as well as  coveted

our power. They didn't come down with weapons drawn to round us up, as they

did with so many other populations they enslaved-"

"Yeah, I've seen how they work. But how did they even know you existed?

I thought you were a secret sect. Or  am I the only one who never heard  of

the Fallanassi? "

"You  are  right,  there  is  a  contradiction,  "  said  Akanah.  "The

explanation  is  simple,  but  an  embarrassment.  We  were  divided  among

ourselves about the  coming war and  what our  moral duty was.  One of  our

community, for  reasons of  her  own, went  to  the Imperial  governor  and

revealed herself. "

"You were betrayed. "

"No-no, that's too  strong a word.  Even though her  name is no  longer

spoken, she  had a  high purpose  in what  she did.  She believed  that  by

allying ourselves with the Empire, we could be the water that would  quench

the flame. " Akanah's eyes were touched by wistfulness. "But she was wrong.

It was too late for that-the fire was already beyond control. "

"Well-I don't know  why you called  it an embarrassment,  " said  Luke.

"The only communities that think with one mind are those that only have one

mind. And I haven't met anyone yet who hasn't ever been passionately  wrong

about something, sometime. "

"You are generous, "  said Akanah, "more generous  than the circle  was

able to be. "

"It's easier for me, " he said. "I wasn't the one betrayed. "

She acknowledged him  with a  nod. "The  Empire sent  General Tagge  to

Wlalu-who held the wand of privilege then-to offer us the protection of the

Emperor. He said it was important for us to show our loyalty-that that  was

the only way we could escape the fate of the Jedi. We knew what that meant.

The Jedi were being hunted down as traitors and sorcerers, and no one dared

openly favor or befriend them. "

"Forgive me-I don't mean to sound  suspicious. But how do you know  all

this? " Luke asked. "You said you  were just a child, and offplanet at  the

time. "

"No, I  was still  on Lucazec  when General  Tagge came  there, "  said

Akanah. "My mother-her name  was Isela--was one of  the women who met  with

Wialu in  circle afterward,  to decide  what to  do. And  children are  not

protected from adult  concerns in  our community, as  they are  in so  many

places. Isela told me of the Empire's invitation, and what it might mean to

refuse it. "

"I guess I  don't understand,  then, "  said Luke,  trying to  remember

where he had heard the general's name before. "How did you become separated

from the others?  I assume the  Fallanassi let Lucazec  rather than  either

refuse or accept. "

"No, that  was months  later,  " explained  Akanah. "Wialu  did  refuse

General Tagge. She told him that the  loyalty of the Fallanassi was to  the

Light, and that we would not let ourselves be used to further the  ambition

of generals, kings, or emperors. "

"Tagge-I remember now,  " said Luke.  "He was on  the first Death  Star

when Leia was a prisoner. " He  paused, then added, "He was probably  still

on board when my proton torpedo blew it to bits. "

Luke didn 't know what possessed him to make that claim before  Akanah,

and her response made him feel even more foolish for having done so.

She stiffened as he spoke, and he could feel her withdrawing from  him,

though she barely moved.

"Do you seek honor from me for  this? In time you will understand  that

the Fallanassi honor no  heroes for killing, not  even killing one who  has

been our tormentor, " said Akanah.

"I'm sorry, "  Luke said,  and wondered  at his  own words.  Everything

suddenly seemed upside down.  It was strange and  unsettling that the  deed

for which he  had been so  lionized now became  touched with  regret-regret

over the killing of an enemy who had been his own sister's tormentor.  That

moment had decided both his future and  the galaxy's, and he had never,  in

all the years since, questioned the rightness of what he had done.

Akanah nodded, and her face seemed to  soften. "I will not speak of  it

again. "

Luke was  happy  to leave  behind  his ill-considered  words,  and  the

jumbled thoughts and alarming feelings that had followed them. "How did the

Empire respond to Wialu? " he asked. "Is that when you left Lucazec? "

"No, not until later, " said Akanah.  "Tagge tried to force us to  come

to him by destroying  our relationship with our  neighbors. Lucazec was  an

open-immigration world then, and tolerant-or  so we thought. We shopped  in

villages nearest to ours and hired  workers from them. Tagge placed  agents

in those  villages, to  kill house  animals, and  set fires,  and turn  the

waters bitter, and make other strange things happen. "

"And then blame the Fallanassi, " Luke guessed.

"Yes. The Empire's agents whispered against us, until those who'd  been

our friends feared us. The workers stopped coming to our village, and three

of our circle were attacked when they  went to Jisasu for food and to  sell

our medicines.

"That was when my mother sent  me away--not to protect me, because  she

and the others could protect the children well enough. But she didn't  want

to expose me to  the hate that surrounded  us then. I was  one of five  who

were sent away, to friends on Paig, to schools on Teyr or Carratos. "

"How many of you went to Carratos? "

"Only me, " Akanah said. She smiled sadly, her eyes bright with  tears.

"They were to send for us when  Lucazec was peaceful again, or come for  us

when they headed for a new home. "

"But they never did. "

"No. I never heard from any of the body again. " She shook her head. "I

don't know why. "

"And you still don't know what happened? "

"All I was  ever able  to learn  is that  they left  Lucazec, that  our

village was  abandoned  and  in  ruins. I  couldn't  even  find  the  other

children, on Teyr and Paig. I think the circle came for them. I think I was

the only one left behind. " She  tried to say it matter-of-factly, but  the

hurt still showed.

"Or maybe  you're  the  only  one the  Empire  didn't  find.  Have  you

considered that? "

"I have tried not to think about that, " Akanah said, looking past  him

to the pale brown  disk of Lucazec.  "I would rather be  the only one  left

behind than the only one left alive. "

The region of Lucazec that Akanah called the North Plateau had no  true

spaceport. Luke was  directed to set  theMud Sloth down  at a quiet  little

airfield identified only by its latitude and longitude. There he and Akanah

were met by three  men wearing drab  brown clothing so  similar one to  the

next that it might as well have been a uniform.

They identified  themselves  as  the  airfield  marshal,  the  district

censor, and the  port magistrate.  The censor  had a  small recorder,  into

which he both spoke and repeated their answers. "Point of origin. "

"Coruscant, " said Luke.

"Registry of your vessel. "

"Carratos, " Akanah supplied.

"Do you affirm that you are both citizens of the New Republic? "

"We are, " said Luke.

"Purpose of your visit. "

"Research, " said Akanah. "Archaeological research. "

"No digging is permitted without a license from the proctor of history,

" the  magistrate warned  them. "All  artifacts must  be submitted  to  the

Office of the  Proctor so  that the  appropriate taxes  can be  determined.

Evasion of antiquities taxes is a  state crime punishable by-" Luke made  a

small gesture, slicing the  air with his fingertips.  "We are aware of  the

regulations, Magistrate. "

"What? Yes, of course, " the magistrate said, and lapsed into silence.

Luke turned to the shortest of the three men.

"Marshal, I  would  like to  arrange  for my  ship  to be  hangared.  I

wouldn't want any curious children to accidently injure themselves. "

"I'm afraid there are no-"

"I'm prepared to pay the reasonable and customary fees, of course. "

"How long do you think you'll be on Lucazec? "

"I couldn't say, " Luke said. "Is that a problem? "

"No, no. I believe some space recently became available in Hangar  Kaa,

our newest  and  most secure.  I'll  have your  ship  towed in.  A  Verpine

Adventurer, isn't it? I hear that's a fine vessel. I don't think we've ever

had one of those in here before-"

"Thank you, " Luke said. His gaze settled on the censor.

"Was there anything else? "

"I must see your identity cards, of course, " the censor said,  puffing

up his chest.

"We've already shown them to you,  " Luke said, intensifying his  focus

on the man.

"Of  course,  "  said  the  censor,  his  eyes  suddenly  blank.  "Your

destination was-"

"Jisasu, " said Akanah.

"Yes, of course. You'll want  to hire a cart.  Go by the East  District

Trail-the bridge at Crown Pass Road has  been out since the last rain,  and

the river can't be forded on account of the debris. "

Luke nodded. "Very kind of you, " he said, smiling pleasantly. "I'll be

sure to mention your helpfulness in my report. " He hoisted both their bags

and slung them over one shoulder. "Come,  Lady Anna. I'd like to see if  we

can't get there before dark. "

"Lady Anna! " Akanah  said when they enjoyed  the privacy of the  road,

jolting along in one of the big-wheeled, two-seated utility vehicles common

on' Lucazec. "I like that. And what shall I call you? The Duke of Skye? "

"I'd prefer not  to give  any name  at all,  " said  Luke. "I'd  rather

anyone we meet not quite be able to recall my face, or remember my name, as

though they were too distracted by you to pay attention. "

"I'd like that, too, " she said with a smile.

There had been a few structures near the airfield that might have  been

houses, but East District  Trail had quickly turned  into a road through  a

brown and hilly nowhere. "Is anything  familiar yet? Do you know this  part

of the district? "

"It's all familiar, after a fashion. I knew Crown Pass Road better-that

was the short  way to  Jisasu and  Big Hill.  But I  hardly recognized  the

airfield, it's so built up now. "

Luke shot her a surprised look. "Built up? "

"Oh, yes. When I left here, the  airfield was nothing more than a  flat

spot everyone had  agreed not  to farm  or fence, and  a few  marks on  the

ground to guide  the pilots in.  There weren't any  hangars, because  there

weren't any flyers kept there. "

"Or perhaps the other way around, " said Luke. "I'm glad we didn't need

a docking  bay  on this  stop-we  would've had  to  put down  five  hundred

kilometers from here. "

"Yes, at The Towers. It's a long trip. But then, I remember this  being

a long trip-and  look, there's  the river  ahead, you  can mark  it by  the

trees. See beyond, where it gets more hilly? That's Hastings Watershed. The

haze is  from  cookfires-there  are  villages  all  through  the  Hastings,

anywhere there's a permanent supply of water. "

"Any impressions of our welcoming committee? "

"Cold, " said  Akanah. "No one  ever carried or  asked for an  identity

card back then. People didn't automatically look at you with suspicion. "

"They were bureaucrats, " Luke reminded her.

"There weren't any officials in charge of suspicion back then. "

"Well-this was occupied territory. Strike even a friendly animal  often

enough- Whoops, hang on. "

The cart pitched sharply down and jerked  to a stop as the front  wheel

dropped into a deep rut. Both  Luke and Akanah were thrown forward,  nearly

catapulted from their  seats. Akanah grabbed  for the side  board and  seat

back, while Luke clutched the steering  arm in one hand and braced  himself

with a foot against the splashboards.

For a long  moment the  constant-speed motors driving  the rear  wheels

whined in complaint, until the front wheel  popped free of the rut and  the

cart lurched forward.

"Oh, something else, " said Akanah. "The roads are a lot smoother  now.

"

"You're kidding. "

"No. We  used to  have to  hang on  with both  hands the  whole way  to

Jisasu. " She smiled to herself at the memory. "The kids made a game of it,

standing up  in the  cargo box,  holding on  to the  back of  the  seats-or

not-trying to keep from  falling down or  falling out. I  did both. "  Just

then a  rock under  the left  wheel sent  a hard  jolt up  both Luke's  and

Akanah's spines.  "But  that  was a  long  time  ago. I  suppose  a  little

levitation is out of the question-"

"Are you asking, or offering? "

"Either. Both. "

Another cart appeared over the rise ahead of them, coming toward them.

"I think we'd better keep the wheels on the ground, " Luke said.  "It's

a little late to start disguising us as a whirldust. "

Akanah nodded, raising  her cupped hands  in greeting to  the wiry  old

farmer and clean-faced young woman in the approaching cart.

"And I still think concealing ourselves would be a mistake, " she said.

"We may still have to talk to the neighbors to find out what we need to.  "

She paused as  the other cart  passed by at  close range, neither  occupant

answering her greeting or  offering more than  a quick stony-eyed  sidewise

glance. "If anyone will talk to us, that is. "

They missed the turnoff for Ialtra, because it no longer existed.  That

section of Crown Pass Road and  Ialtra Trail was gone, its location  marked

only by the stump of its centerpost.

And there was no longer  a road to the  village of the Fallanassi,  not

even by the modest standards  of Lucazec-which, Luke had decided,  required

only a three-rut path  from which the largest  rocks had been removed.  The

old ruts could still be  seen, but it seemed as  though the trail had  been

deliberately strewn with large rocks,  especially where it had once  joined

the main road.

"Are you sure this is the right place? "

"Yes, " Akanah said. "Completely sure. "

"I've got a bad feeling about this, " Luke said, shaking his head.

"So do I, Luke, "  she said timorously, reaching  for his hand. "So  do

I."

In its heyday Ialtra had had more than thirty buildings, and all but  a

few had transcended the simple,  pragmatic architecture of the region.  The

circle house had stood three stories  high, with a great open archway  that

divided the lower  floors in half,  and tiled facings  in complex  abstract

designs. Its rooftop gardens, fed by pipe and solar pump, offered not  only

lush grass and flowers in profusion, but a view over the surrounding hills.

Medicinals and food crops  once grew under  three translucent domes  nested

between pairs  of  small  workhouses. Ring  dwellings  had  been  scattered

everywhere,  each  with  half   a  dozen  wedge-roofed  sleeping   cottages

surrounding the common rooms.

Ialtra had enjoyed two  wells and a walled  pond, and a long  wandering

meditation trail with more than a dozen hillside shelters. One slope facing

north had been carved  away into an open-air  amphitheater large enough  to

seat the entire  community, with a  focus that could  accommodate either  a

performing stage or a ceremonial fire.

None of it remained untouched, and it was clear to both Luke and Akanah

that weather and time alone had not done the damage.

The circle house had been  collapsed into rubble, its supporting  walls

knocked out  from  under it.  The  growing  domes had  been  exploded  from

within-fragments of  the clear  crystalline  material littered  the  ground

everywhere, crunching underfoot  as the  visitors walked  slowly among  the

ruins. The amphitheater was buried under a landslide.

The walled pond had been breached and now was bone dry. The large  well

had been filled and heaped over with masonry from a wrecked ring  dwelling.

The small well appeared  to have been poisoned  with whatever solvents  and

reagents could be found-a small mound of empty, dust-covered containers  of

assorted shapes and sizes standing nearby gave testimony to that.

A few of  the ring dwellings  stood nearly intact,  but even those  had

been defaced. Their tiled facings had been smashed, and a symbol-two  lines

slashed across a circle-had been crudely burned onto the walls with blaster

fire. Akanah stood by one of  these, biting her lower lip, saying  nothing.

Anguish and sadness radiated from her  with such intensity that Luke  found

it necessary to shield himself from most of it.

"This was our home, " Akanah said at last. "Isela and I lived here-Toma

and Ji and  Norika next  to us on  this side.  Nori was my  best friend.  "

Closing her  eyes, she  bowed her  head for  a moment,  as though  steeling

herself. Then she  ducked through an  entry arch, walking  across the  door

that had once sealed it.

The door had  had no  lock, but  its hinges  were blaster-scorched  and

melted all the same.

Luke waited  outside,  granting Akanah  privacy  in the  ruins  of  her

memories. She rejoined him a few minutes later, standing taller and seeming

stronger.

"They weren't here when this happened,  " she said. "Whether they  were

taken or escaped, none of them died here. "

"Why do you say that? "

"Because of the way it feels here,  " Akanah said. "I don't know  quite

how to describe it,  except that I'm sure  that I'd be able  to feel it  if

even one of us had been killed  here. This was-an empty gesture. It  didn't

touch the Current. "

"It feels that way to me, too, " Luke said. "And I'd vote for 'escaped.

' I've  been thinking  as I  look  around that  this was  all done  out  of

frustration. They desecrated your home because that was all they could  do.

Something else-they didn't use anything bigger than a personal blaster  for

this. Nothing military grade. This isn't the Empire's work. "

"Our friends in Big Hill and Jisasu, " Akanah said stiffly.

"They were lied to, " said Luke. "None of us are immune to fear. "

"Please-don't try to stop me from  being angry at them, " Akanah  said.

"We do not pretend to emotional purity. This was my home. I have the right.

"

"Of course, " Luke said. "Akanah-which was my mother's house? "

Akanah closed her eyes in thought for a moment.

"There, " she said, opening her eyes and pointing across the  compound.

"Number Four. " She smiled faintly. "I understand. Go on-I'm all right. "

Nodding his  appreciation,  Luke turned  and  started across  the  open

ground toward the ruined ring  dwelling at the foot  of the highest of  the

enclosing hills. But he was not even halfway there when a scream froze him.

He whirled, his cape sweeping outward,  and a blaster bolt burned past  him

so close that he could smell the heat.

He rolled away from the heat, came out of the roll with a forward  flip

that carried him five meters  away from where he  had stood, and ended  the

flip searching for his attacker, his lightsaber in his right hand.

There were two men near  Akanah, who was huddled  on her knees with  an

arm raised as though she had just fended off a blow.

"Akanah! " he cried, and charged toward them.

The next blaster bolt was dead on target, but Luke deflected it  neatly

skyward with his lightsaber. In the next moment he drew deeply on the Force

and reached out to crush the blaster with a thought as powerful as a  vise.

His next thought yanked the disabled weapon from the man's hand and  hurled

it far out of reach.

Akanah had raised her head when he called her name. "No, Luke,  don't-"

she cried.

But Luke's focus  was the  second man, who  was now  showing a  weapon,

too-pointed at Akanah.

"Keep your  distance! "  the man  shouted  at Luke.  He did  not  sound

afraid.

Luke's answer was a thought-blow that  tore the blaster from the  man's

hand and  smashed  it against  the  wall of  the  dwelling behind  him.  It

exploded into a shower of sparks and shattered into a dozen fragments.

Then he was on them, the  lightsaber held for attack, not defense.  The

first man he had disarmed projected a personal shield, which blunted Luke's

initial stroke. But the blow  took the man to his  knees all the same.  The

next stroke, with the power of the lightsaber married to the will of a Jedi

Master, sliced through the shield and  deep into the assailant's chest.  He

gasped once as blood erupted, then crumpled backward onto the hard ground.

Turning quickly, Luke  found the  second man closing  on Akanah  again,

reaching for her, as though meaning to use her as his shield.

Instantly Luke threw his lightsaber,  spinning the weapon end over  end

with a sharp snap of  his wrist. It scythed  through the air, severing  the

attacker's left arm above the elbow. The man screamed and collapsed as Luke

brought the lightsaber back to his hand.

"Who are you? " Luke demanded, standing over the fallen attacker.

The   stump   of   his    arm   scarcely   bled.   "Commander    Paffen

reporting-Skywalker, "  the man  said. Then  he closed  his eyes,  and  his

entire body shuddered. A mo ment later his eyes flew open again.

"Skywalker is here. "

With a flick of the tip of his lightsaber, Luke disabled the comlink on

the man's equipment belt. "Who are you?  " he demanded again. "Why are  you

here? "

"Not fair-waited so long, " the man said, and moaned. "We only expected

the witch. "

"Why were you waiting? What did you want? "

The man  grimaced. "They  said  the poison  wouldn't  hurt, "  the  man

whispered, and died, still staring at the sky.

Wearing a mask  of worry, Luke  crouched beside Akanah,  who was  still

huddled on the ground, shaking from head to toe and sobbing.

"Akanah-are you hurt? " he asked, touching her arm.

Recoiling violently from his touch, she turned away from him.

"I'm sorry-I must have been distracted, " he said, shifting to where he

could see her face.  "I should have  known they were  here. But it's  over.

They can't hurt you now. "

Still trembling, Akanah turned away  from him again. "They never  could

have hurt me. "

"What are you talking about? You screamed-you were on the ground-"

"I wasn't hurt. I wasn't  in danger. There was  no reason for what  you

did-"

"What I did-"

With a will, she  gathered her feet under  her and staggered away  from

him, hugging herself fiercely. He  followed, dimly beginning to grasp  that

the depth of her distress came  from the second assault, not the  first-his

acts, not the acts of the dead men.

"I thought you were in trouble, " he said.

"Couldn't you have protected us  without harming them? " she  demanded,

whirling to face him. "They startled me-nothing more. "

Luke extended his  awareness, searching  the ruins,  the hills.  "We'll

have to talk  about this  later, " he  said. "These  were Imperial  agents.

There's no telling how close or how far away their friends are. We have  to

leave. We have to get back to the ship, now. "

"No--no, not yet-"

"Akanah, no matter what you think, we can be harmed-"

"Is the river harmed by the rock a child throws? "

"We don't  have time  to  debate this  now,  " Luke  said  impatiently.

"TheMud Sloth may not be  much, but I don't want  to lose her. This  planet

isn't what I had in mind for my retirement, and I'd rather not have to play

hide-and-seek with an Imperial gunship to get out of here. "

"Where do you suggest we go? " Akanah asked.

"It doesn't matter.  Away from Lucazec,  as fast as  we can. We're  not

going to find the  Fallanassi here-the only explanation  for all this  that

makes s ense is that your people  escaped both the Empire and the mob.  The

Empire doesn't know where they  are, and we don't want  to be the ones  who

show them. It's time to go. "

Akanah shook her  head slowly. "There's  something I have  to show  you

first, " she said. "Come. "

Backing away, she led him through the arch into what had once been  her

home. Light streamed in through the  windows and broken roof of the  common

room, but the sleeping cottages were cool and dim beyond the light trap.

"This was my mother's  space, " Akanah said.  "There-can you see it?  "

Her sweeping gesture took in the full width of the back wall.

"See what? "

"Listen for the sound, " she  said. "Like water slipping through  sand.

Drop all your shields. "

Luke tried to concentrate on the  wall, but confusion was the enemy  of

concentration. "What is it-is there something written there? Am I  supposed

to see it, or hear it? "

"Yes, " she said, her one answer covering all his questions.

"You're a lot of help, " he said, squinting.

"Let go of the Force,  " she said. "It can't  help you in this.  You've

trained yourself to see the shadows. Let yourself see the light. "

Drawing a deep  breath, Luke  tried to focus  on the  wall-to open  his

awareness to every aspect of its  existence as a material object  traveling

through time, every immanent  quality perceivable on  any plane. Color  and

texture, mass and temperature, the feeble tug of gravity, the faint glow of

radiation, its  solidity  deflecting  the  currents  of  air,  its  opacity

blocking the light, its  contribution to the scent  and flavor of the  air,

and a hundred more subtle measures that defined its reality.

"Let me help, " she said, taking his hand. "Do you perceive the wall? "

"Yes-"

"Take it away. Stop  perceiving the substance.  Make it disappear  from

your thoughts, and look inside it. Stay open--let me guide your eyes. "

Then he saw it-not written on the wall, but written within it, the pale

white shapes of  symbols drawn  not with  matter, but  with some  elemental

essence swirling within it.

"Is that it? " he  asked, as though she could  not only guide his  eyes

but see through them.

She smiled and tightened her grip on his hand.

"The way home is always marked. That is the promise made to us. "

"Can you read it? What does it say? "

"I know where we have to go, " Akanah said, and released his hand. "Can

you still see it now, without my help? "

The symbols had been brightening,  but they vanished abruptly when  the

contact was broken. "No-it's  completely gone. I  can remember the  shapes,

but I can't see them now. "

Nodding, she said, "It doesn't matter. If you can see Current  scribing

with guidance, I can  teach you to  see it on your  own. It's how  children

learn. "

"Is there  more-in  the  other  cottages,  or  outside,  on  the  other

buildings? "

"No. Just here. This was meant for me. "

"The attack-it came  after you'd been  in the house,  " Luke said  with

sudden understanding. "They knew there was something there. That's why  the

Empire still had agents here. They were just waiting for someone who  could

read it to show up. "

"But would the Empire risk sending  a ship this deep into New  Republic

territory? "

"That depends on how badly someone  still wants the Fallanassi, "  Luke

said. "I don't think we should wait around to see. "

Akanah frowned. "No. "

"And we can't be followed. "

"No, " she agreed. "Can you cloak us? "

"I can disguise our  appearance. But we  have to do  more than that,  "

Luke said. "You need to erase the message. "

Even without looking at her, he felt her reluctance and resistance.

"It's the only way to be sure this trap has been disarmed, " he  added.

"Can you erase it? Can it be done at all? "

"Scribing opens a tiny breach between the real and the unreal, " Akanah

said with a slow nod. "It's easier to collapse it than create it. "

She hesitated, then sighed. "Wait for me outside. "

She did not keep him waiting long.

"It's done, " she said, taking his arm as she joined him. "But, just to

be certain no one can undo it, please knock it down. "

"Are you sure? "

"Please, " she said. "I'm never coming back here. Bring all of it down.

"

Without moving  from where  they stood,  Luke complied.  A twist  of  a

corner, a push in the middle of a long wall, opened a spiderweb of  cracks.

The cracks  widened in  turn, until  the  stonework fell  in and  the  roof

collapsed atop it, kicking up a billow of yellow dust.

"We'd better hurry now, " Luke said.

"There's one  more thing,  " she  said.  "You need  to go  inside  your

mother's cottage. "

He shook his head sadly. "There isn't time. "

"Take the time, " she said. "I'll  hide us, so you can stay open  while

you're there. "

"Akanah-"

"A few minutes won't  matter to the outcome,  " she said. "The  nearest

friend of the men you killed is  either very close already, or a very  long

way away. But those few minutes may matter a great deal to you. GO. "

Luke sat in the middle of what had been the floor of the ruined cottage

and whispered his  mother's name, as  if to ask  the broken stones  whether

they remembered it.

"Nashira, "  he said,  but the  sound fled  into the  dark corners  and

vanished.

"Nashira, " he called,  but the echoes escaped  out through the  cracks

and fissures in the walls.

He brushed the litter aside and pressed  the palms of his hands to  the

floor, drew the  dusty air  deep into  his nostrils  and tasted  it on  his

tongue, slowly scanned all around him for anything that might have belonged

to the last person to make a home of that space.

"Mother, " he said, and the reality of the moment welled up inside him.

It was a point  of contact, after  so many years  without one. She  had

been where he was NOW.

It did not matter  that he could  not find her  touch lingering on  the

rude substance  surrounding  him. The  knowledge  alone was  enough.  Where

before he  could  only  pretend,  now he  could  imagine,  and  imagination

overleaped the time that separated them.

She had slept here, laughed  here, retreated here for sanctuary,  cried

and sought peace here, perhaps loved and grieved here, moving through  this

space as real as life and as human as the rush of longing Luke felt in that

moment.

He could not see her face or hear her voice, but, even so, she was more

real to him in that moment than she had ever been before.

It was not enough, not by half, but it was a beginning.

The village  was in  shadow by  the time  Luke emerged  from  Nashira's

cottage and rejoined Akanah. The sun  had dropped below the hills, and  the

breeze had a softer edge.

"How long was I in there? "

"It doesn't matter, " she said. "Are you ready? "

Luke nodded. "You were right, " he said. "Thank you. "

"I knew it  was important.  But we'd better  hurry now.  It'll be  dark

before we reach the airfield. "

Neither had  anything more  to say  as they  returned to  the cart  and

climbed atop it for the return trip.  Luke checked it closely for any  sign

of a tracker or tampering, then raised the vehicle a meter off the ground.

"No bumps this trip, " he said with a small smile. "But I'd still  hold

on. What do they call those carrion birds here? "

"Nackhawns. "

"That's what we are, then. A big, ugly nack hawn. " Luke swung the cart

in a wide circle  over the hills enclosing  Ialtra, scanning for any  other

vehicles.

He found none, and wondered how  the Imperial agents had followed  them

there.

But Luke shook off the thought,  and sent the cart arrowing toward  the

southeast and  the airfield.  Their  passage was  silent  but for  the  air

tearing past the contours of a vehicle that was never meant to fly.

Not long after, back in the ruins of the village of Ialtra, the  bodies

of two dead  Imperial agents  merged with  the shadows  that had  enveloped

them, and vanished as though they had never been.

Chapter 13

Near a brown dwarf star on the  edge of the Koornacht Cluster, the  New

Republic astrographic probeAstrolabe dropped out of hyperspace.

The broad flat underside of the small unarmed ship was heavily  studded

with scanners. Four scan platforms  carried everything from stereo  imagers

and neutron dippers to quark  detectors and wide-band photometricons.  Many

of the instruments  were duplicated  as a hedge  against malfunctions.  The

combination of the  thin, wide  profile and the  scanner configuration  had

given the Astrogator-class probes the  nickname "flatfish, " which in  turn

had given rise to an unofficial logo popular with the crews.

"Your tour operators, the Astrographic Survey Institute, welcome you to

Doornik-1142, " the pilot called back to his survey team. "Be sure to  take

in all the recreational  opportunities of this  undiscovered gem of  Farlax

Sector-look out the viewports! Then later, you can look out the  viewports!

And whatever else you do during your nineteen-hour stay, make sure you take

the time to look out the viewports! "

It was an  old, familiar joke,  and drew no  more than ritual  chuckles

from the survey team. ASI vessels were the restless, peripatetic  travelers

of the stars--Professional tourists  on breathless sightseeing  expeditions

through the galaxy. Capable  of exceptionally high  speeds in realspace,  a

flatfish rarely took more than a day to complete a mapping and survey  pass

across the top of an entire star system.

Most planets were  overflown at  close to  maximum speed.  Only if  the

approach data showed  signs of life  would a probe  slow to  quarter-speed.

Only the markers of technological habitation could make them linger as long

as a single orbit. Only the most extraordinary anomalies in the scans could

make a flatfish lot turn back and make a second pass. And landings were  so

rare as to be nearly unheard of.

Astrolabehad been diverted from work in  Torranix Sector to fill a  gap

in the standard  star charts-a gap  left by the  fallen Empire's  obsessive

secrecy, which treated  ordinary astrographic data  about the territory  it

controlled as classified military data.

The pilot, an  eighteen-year veteran known  to his crew  as Gabby,  had

overflown more than a  thousand planets in his  career-but had set foot  on

only three.

His senior surveyor,  Tanea, had nearly  three thousand overflights  on

her jacket, yet had ground-level memories of only half a dozen. The  junior

surveyor, Rulffe, expected to pass the five hundred mark on this tour,  but

had never drawn a breath on any world but his homeworld.

This mission  began  like  all  the others.  The  first  hour  was  the

busiest-while Tanea and Rulffe checked  out the scanners, Gabby  calibrated

the probe's autonav for  the shortest-path mapping  pass over the  system's

quartet of cold, gaseous planets. They had every reason to think that their

visit to  Doornik-1142  would  be  short  and  uneventful,  ending  with  a

compressed data dump to  Coruscant and the jump  to the next  gravitational

well.

But it would end early, and hard.

Gabby and Tanea were  playing a word game  over the ship's comm  system

asAstrolabe approached the second planet.

"Hemostat, " said Gabby.

"Oh, easy. Statistics. "

"Eh-experience. "

Tanea laughed.  "That's not  legal, but  I'm going  to give  it to  you

anyway, because I'm such a kind and loving soul. Encephalitis. "

"Tissue. "

Tanea frowned. "I  take it back.  I think you've  got me now-"  Without

warning the ship began to shake violently.

The cabin was filled with a roaring  sound like an animal wind, a  deep

growly rumble, and crackling like fire.

"What the hell! " Rulffe exclaimed.

"Something's wrong with the engines! " Gabby cried as the roar became a

screaming whistle.

In the next  moment, the  air was  ripped from  his lungs  in a  frosty

plume, and silence reigned.

Moments later, with the temperature plunging, the cabin lights failed.

The trouble  board, now  a mass  of blinking  red and  yellow  squares,

provided the only illumination.

In the  last  excruciating seconds  of  consciousness, with  the  gases

boiling in his  blood vessels,  the pilot tried  to reach  the switches  to

manually fire the emergency buoy and transmit the log. But his limbs, bound

up by agony,  would not obey  him. He was  already dead, and  consciousness

soon gratefully followed volition into the abyss.

Vol Noorr, primate of the battle cruiserPurity, watched approvingly  as

a fierce salvo of high-energy laser pulses blindsided the intruding vessel.

The accuracy and discipline of his gun crews pleased him, and he made a

note to commend the weapons master. The firing ceased with the vessel holed

and ravaged but not destroyed. A cloud  of white fire and metal dust  would

have had little to tell them.

But there  would  be  wreckage  enough  to  examine,  and  Vol  Noorr's

follow-up report could be as complete and useful as possible.

"Send out  the  salvors, "  he  ordered. "Make  certain  they  maintain

hygienic protocols on all material recovered. "

Then Vol Noorr locked himself in the secure communications booth. A few

minutes later he transmitted  what would be the  only alert concerning  the

destruction of theAstrolabe to be  sent from Doornik-1142-a short burst  of

code aimed not at the Astrographic Survey Institute on Coruscant but at the

viceroy's flagshipAramadia , ground-moored at Imperial City's Eastport.

"Three days in a row now, " Princess Leia said to those gathered in the

staff conference room. "Does  anyone have any hint  why Nil Spaar has  been

canceling our sessions? Is he ill? Do we know anything about what he's been

doing? "

"He's only left the ship once, " said General Carlist Rieekan. "He went

to the diplomatic hostel and stayed two hours and thirteen minutes-"

"Never mind that. Who did he go there to see? " asked Ackbar.

"We weren't able to develop that information, " Rieekan admitted.  "You

know what the hostel is like-hot  and cold running privacy. The  diplomatic

missions expect that. I can tell you that the hostel host has been  keeping

a chalet reserved for  the Yevetha since before  they arrived, and this  is

the first time any of them have turned up there. "

"So he could have  met with any  or all of the  legates staying at  the

hostel, " said Leia.

"That's correct. "

"I want to see a list, " Ackbar demanded.

"We've prepared one, and  transmitted it to  everyone on the  clearance

sheet for  this  meeting,  "  said Rieekan.  "I  do  have  some  additional

information, which was given to  me just before I  left the office to  come

over here. The viceroy received visitors today on board theAramadia -"

"What? " exclaimed Nanaod Engh. "They haven't allowed anyone but  their

own past the portal since that ship arrived. Who was it? "

"Senator Peramis, Senator Hodidiji, and Senator Marook, " said Rieekan.

"They arrived together,  and all  stayed more than  two hours.  Senator

Marook left before the others. "

"Do we know if  they were invited or  they invited themselves? "  asked

Leia.

"I made a  discreet inquiry to  Senator Marook's staff.  It seems  they

were invited. "

"Have they been in contact with the Yevetha all along? "

"Princess Organa, I can't answer that. "

"Let's get them  all in  here, and we'll  get some  answers, "  Admiral

Ackbar said testily. "Let Senator Peramis answer. "

"Easy, my friend. Let's try to  keep this in perspective, " said  Leia.

"The viceroy has every right to  meet with whomever he chooses. He  doesn't

need our permission to hold a tea party. "

"Princess, forgive me-if you  were not ready to  hear the answers,  why

did you ask the question? "

Leia turned to Rieekan and frowned. "What are you talking about? "

"You asked if anyone had any  notion why the viceroy was canceling  his

sessions with you. Now you learn that  he's met privately with some of  the

candidate  legations,  and  publicly  with   some  of  the  Senate's   most

iconoclastic members. He's  not only  broken all  precedent, but  pointedly

extended courtesies  to others  that  he's never  extended to  you-and  you

refuse to draw the obvious conclusion. "

"Which is-"

"That something fundamental  has changed. That  your negotiations  with

Nil Spaar are over. "

"But what could have caused the  change? " Leia protested. "There  were

no problems at our last  meeting. I can't believe  that he would throw  all

our work away without so much as a word! "

Admiral Ackbar, who was standing, was the first to notice the viewpanes

of  the  conference  room   beginning  to  hum.   The  broad  expanses   of

transparisteel had been darkened against  the morning sun and prying  eyes,

so he could not immediately see the cause of the tremor when he turned.

"Princess-a moment-"

"What is it? "

"I know that sound-" Engh was saying.

"Something big over at Eastport, " Rieekan said.

"Can't you hear it? "

By that time, Ackbar had strode to the controls for the viewpanes,  and

the room was abruptly flooded with  light. As one, they turned their  faces

toward it and squinted into the glare.

They saw the  bright spherical shape  ofAramadia slowly ascending  from

the spaceport, with its three tiny escorts circling it like planets  around

a  star.  Ripples  of  atmospheric  distortion  rolled  out  of   scalloped

depressions in its hull.

"I guess we'll have to believe it now, " said Engh.

"I have the port commander online, " Rieekan said.

"Let all of us hear it, " said Leia.

"Yes, sir. Go ahead, Commander-what's happening out there? "

The roar of  the Yevethan  vessel's pulse-lifters was  louder over  the

comm line than it was in  the conference room. "We're still sorting  things

out. I can tell youAramadia did not request a launch window from the tower.

Our first  warning  she was  gonna  lift was  when  she started  to  launch

escorts. That wasn't enough warning to get everyone clear of the downblast.

There are six port  sentries and at least  three ground personnel  injured,

and the ship in the nearest bay,  Motber Valkyrie, looks like it took  some

substantial damage.  Those pulse-lifters  are  nasty-we've got  reports  of

ships being bounced as far away as the commuter docks. "

"Thank you, Commander. Stand by, "  Rieekan said, and closed the  link.

"Princess, I recommend we immediately place the Home Fleet on high alert. "

"We  must  do  more  than  that,   "  said  Ackbar.  "I  have   ordered

theBrilliantto move into position to fire on theAramadia if necessary. "

"What? Why would that be necessary? "

"Princess, Ararnadia is inside our planetary shield, " said Rieekan. "A

ship that  size could  carry enough  munitions to  make quite  a mess  down

here-at least the equivalent of a  couple of Imperial assault frigates.  We

can't wait until we know what she means to do to respond. "

"This is insane, " Leia protested.  "It's a diplomatic vessel. We  have

no evidence that it's even  armed. Why would Nil Spaar  do such a thing?  "

She looked back over her shoulder at Alole. "Any response? "

Her aide shook her  head. "No, sir.  No answer at  all to your  earlier

messages, or to my red-line page. "

"Princess, " Ackbar  said, "with respect,  the question we  need to  be

asking right now is not why he might  do it, but what we can do to  prevent

it. We can't afford the luxury of thinking we have friends on that ship. "

"I agree, " said  Rieekan. "The casualties at  Eastport testify to  Nil

Spaar's priorities. They had to know what the consequences of a  full-power

lift with  no advance  warning would  be. They've  demonstrated that  their

convenience was more important to them than the lives of our people on  the

ground. "

"Not convenience, "  Ackbar said.  "This was no  coincidence. This  was

calculated. He must  have known  that we were  meeting. This  was meant  to

embarrass you, just like the invitation to the senators. "

"No-I can't believe  that, " said  Leia. But her  face wore a  defeated

expression. "Nevertheless-" She  sighed. "Alert  the fleet  and the  ground

defenses. Instruct  the captain  of theBrilliant  to take  up position  and

stand by for further orders.  But we will not be  the first to fire-I  want

that understood by everyone. This

has to be a misunderstanding. Let's not do anything to make it worse. "

Aramadiawent  into  orbit  forty  klicks  below  the  lower  limit   of

Coruscant's planetary shield, withBrilliant shadowing it astern.

There it remained for  the next two hours,  as mute and inscrutable  as

ever-in General Rieekan's  words, "running the  yard like a  dog who  knows

exactly where the fence is. " Ackbar and Leia watched the orbital traces of

both ships on  a monitor in  her office,  with Leia growing  more and  more

impatient.

"What is he waiting for? " she demanded of no one in particular, pacing

the room. "He  was in  such a hurry  to raise  ship, and now  he just  sits

there. It doesn't make any sense. If he's planning to leave, he'll have  to

ask for clearance to transit the shield, won't he? "

"So far as we know, " said  Ackbar, "it's not possible to jump  through

or over our planetary shield. "

"That's what I  thought. But  if he has  something else  in mind,  he's

squandered his moment  of surprise, and  then some. So  what could this  be

about? "

"Maybe he's giving us a chance to apologize. "

"Apologize? For what? Am I supposed to guess? It's hard enough  dealing

with all the ones who won't say what they mean, or tell you what they think

you want to hear-what am I supposed to do when they won't talk at all? They

come here  and expect  me to  dance  at their  protocol ball  without  ever

showing me the steps-" As she  spoke, Ackbar recoiled at the bitterness  of

her words  and  the harshness  of  her  tone. Belatedly  Leia  noticed  his

reaction. "I'm sorry, " she said, and sighed deeply. "It isn't you. I  just

don't understand why this is happening, and it's making me a little  crazy.

"

"Princess, " said Ackbar, "that may be exactly why it's happening. "

At the rostrum of  the huge Senate  chamber, Behn-kihlmahm gaveled  the

body into order. He wondered at the unusual number of senators present  for

the opening-more than half the number  seated, if his eyes did not  deceive

him.

There had been much talk in  the corridor and the cloakrooms about  the

sudden departure of the  Yevetha that morning, but  that could not  account

for the turnout.

The first  hour or  more of  each  daily session  was usually  lost  to

self-serving speeches  intended  more  for  the  homeworlds  than  for  the

senators' peers. It was common to  find the chamber empty except for  those

waiting to speak. Behn-kihl-nahm glanced at the list and could find no name

that could explain the high attendance or the speed with which the senators

were moving to their seats.

There is something here, he thought worriedly.

"The chair recognizes Senator Hodidiji. "

"I rise to speak on a point of privilege. "

"Senator Hodidiji is recognized on a point of personal privilege. "

Hodidiji rose at his seat and addressed the rostrum without benefit  of

the microphone available to him, his  voice booming out across the rows  of

planetary representatives. "Chairman, a  matter of substantial urgency  has

arisen since I  first requested  my time. Due  to the  seriousness of  this

matter, I elect to yield my time  to Senator Peramis of Walalla, and I  ask

that this body attend carefully to his presentation. "

There was a stir  in the chamber, but  less of one than  Behn-kihl-nahm

would have expected.  Apparently Peramis  was the reason  for the  turnout.

Just as  apparently, Behn-kihl-nahm  had  not heard  all of  the  morning's

gossip and rumors, a  prospect that brought a  frown to his face.  "Senator

Peramis, " he said with a nod, then stepped back from the podium.

"Thank you, Chairman. And I thank Senator Hodidiji for his  indulgence,

" said  Peramis.  "Most of  you  know by  now  that the  Yevethan  consular

shipAramadia made an unscheduled liftoff from Eastport this morning. I have

been informed that  three port  employees are dead  and more  than a  score

injured-"

This time the stir had an angry edge to it.

Behn-kihl-nahm reached out  and dragged an  aide closer by  means of  a

fistful of fabric. "Call  the princess, " he  whispered harshly. "Tell  her

she'd better get herself down here, now-and bring her firesuit. "

"-Three ships were also damaged, including a consular ship belonging to

the autonomous territory of Paqwepori.  "However, it's not the collapse  of

negotiations with the Yevetha, or the damage to property, or even the  loss

of life which  should make  this a  matter of great  import to  us, "  said

Peramis. "It is the reason why these things happened which must concern us.

"So far, there's been no  information forthcoming from the  president's

office about  these  events-not  a  word  of  explanation,  or  regret,  or

indignation. The  princess  has been  unavailable,  and there's  been  only

silence from her staff.

"I'm not surprised  by that.  When you've  heard what  you're about  to

hear, you won't be surprised, either. There isn't much they can say without

lying, because the truth shames them. "

Senator Tolik Yar  shot to his  feet. "A  point of privilege  is not  a

license to slander and defame, sir?

"Chairman, I ask  for order in  the chamber, "  Peramis said, not  even

looking in Senator Yar's direction.

"The  chamber  will  be  in   order,  "  Behn-kihl-nahm  said   without

enthusiasm.

"I warn you, recant your words, before you flirt with treason-" Peramis

shot the  round-bodied Oolid  a look  of contempt.  "Sit down  and  listen,

Senator, and you will learn something  about treason, and about this  woman

you call your friend. Chairman, I ask that the Senate recorder activate the

chamber's  display  screens  and  set  them  to  Channel  Eighty-one,   the

diplomatic frequency. "

"For what purpose, Senator? "

"For the  purpose of  allowing  Viceroy Nil  Spaar  of the  Yevetha  to

address this  body  from  aboardAramadia  ,  which  is  presently  orbiting

Coruscant. "

Behn-kihl-nahm turned away from the podium  just long enough to send  a

second aide on a hasty mission.

"This is most irregular, Senator Peramis. "

"So are the events in dispute, Chairman. And I consider the information

the viceroy can  provide this body  not merely relevant,  but essential  to

understanding those events. "

"Am I to understand that you already have knowledge of what the viceroy

will say? "

"I was contacted by  the viceroy and  asked if I  would help bring  the

truth to light. When I learned what the truth was, it seemed unlikely to me

that we would hear it from any other source, and I agreed. "

There was a growing restlessness in the chamber.

"Let's hear what the viceroy has to say! " cried a voice from the  high

rows.

"It's a  point  of privilege-he  can  introduce whatever  he  likes,  "

shouted another. "If you don't want to hear it, leave! "

"Senator Noimm made us look at recordings of her last brood-birth,  and

you allowed that irregularity. "

There was a ripple of laughter  at that reminder, though Senator  Noimm

glared unhappily.

"Turn 'em on! " someone called, and  it became a chorus. "Turn 'em  on!

Let's hear from the viceroy. "

Behn-kihl-nahm pounded  his  gavel.  "The chamber  will  be  in  order.

Sergeant, you are to  eject the next  member I identify  who speaks out  of

turn. There will be order, or I will suspend this session. "

The sergeant-at-arms, a hulking Gamorrean, moved forward from his usual

post to the  center of the  well, from which  he glowered up  at the  front

benches.

With Behn-kihl-nahm alternately pounding the  gavel and pointing it  at

the worst offenders, the chamber  slowly settled into something  resembling

civility.

"That's better,  " Behn-kihl-nahm  said scoldingly.  "Remember who  you

are! This is  the Senate of  the New Republic.  We are not  a rabble. "  He

peered down to his left.

"Senator Peramis. "

"Yes, Chairman. "

"Do you accept responsibility for your speaker's remarks as though they

were your own,  including any  and all sanctions  which would  fall on  any

member of  this  body  for  transgressions against  the  Senate's  code  of

conduct? "

"I do. "

"Then proceed with your presentation. "

When Behn-kihl-nahm's  first  warning  reached  Princess  Leia  in  her

office, she headed not for the door  but for the darkened display on  which

she was able to monitor the Senate's hypercomm feed on Channel 11.

"I'm not rushing  down there  to put  out a  fire until  I know  what's

burning, " she told Ackbar.

Moments later they  were joined  by First Administrator  Engh, who  had

been routinely monitoring the Senate on  his own and came running to  alert

Leia.

"Did you hear him? No information forthcoming! "

Engh raged. "The  situation's still  developing-what is  there to  say?

Aramadia is still sitting  up there ignoring us.  Bless Tolik Yar,  anyway.

Peramis hasn't even called here-he didn't try to get our side of it. "

"Shhh, " Leia said. "I can't hear what he's saying. "

They did not have to watch long  for Leia to conclude there was  little

she could accomplish by going to the Senate chamber.

"They know  me, "  she said.  "They  know him.  Let him  make  whatever

intimations he wants. The Senate won't  rush to judgment. I'll get my  turn

to be heard-but not today,  in a shouting match  with Peramis. He can  have

the floor to himself this morning. "

But when Peramis announced his intention to have Nil Spaar address  the

Senate, Ackbar became livid.  "This is absurd. Benny  can't let Peramis  do

that. "

"He can't stop him, " Leia said. "He has to allow it. "

"But he's not a member of the  New Republic, " Ackbar said. "Nil  Spaar

has no right to use the diplomatic channels. "

"A technicality, " said  Leia. "The chairman doesn't  dare hold such  a

feeble reed up in the wind that's blowing down there. "

"If the viceroy addresses the Senate on Channel Eighty-one, it's  going

to go out on the  repeaters to every New  Republic homeworld, " Engh  said.

"Let me call someone I kno w over at Network Operations. He'd be willing to

stop this from going offplanet on my word. "

"No, " said Leia. "I'm  not afraid of what  he might say. Besides,  the

newsgrids are sure to have it by now. No, if the viceroy won't speak to me,

let him speak to whomever  he wants. At least we'll  find out what this  is

all about. "

"Then proceed with your presentation, " Behn-kihl-nahm was saying.

"I told you he'd have to allow it, " said Leia.

"Quiet, both of you, until he's done. I don't want to miss any of this.

"

Both the Coruscant  Global Newsgrid  and the  independent New  Republic

Prime Newsgrid,  tipped  off  by  staffers from  the  offices  of  Senators

Hodidiji and  Peramis, had  been following  the contretemps  in the  Senate

since Peramis had taken the floor.

Port officials  hadn't  released any  of  the images  captured  by  the

official visual logs, but  Global had an amateur  recording of the  liftoff

ofArarnadia, made by  a Belovian  envoy who was  seeing family  off at  the

Eastport terminal.

That such a  recording existed  was almost inevitable,  given how  many

lenses had been  pointed in  the direction  of the  Yevethan consular  ship

since its arrival.

But it was just chance that the first moments of the recording included

a blurry glimpse of one of the  sentries being tumbled along the ground  by

the downblast like a rag doll.

Prime's recording of the liftoff had been made from much farther  away,

by a space hobbyist who kept a  bank of automated recorders on the  balcony

of his  dormitory, and  included  no such  graphic  detail. But  Prime  had

somehow gotten close-ups of  the damage on the  ground, including shots  of

bodies draped  in deathrobes  lying on  the ground  and being  loaded  onto

emergency speeders.

Nil Spaar studied both the Global  and Prime broadcasts intently as  he

awaited the outcome of  the wrangling between the  two vermin. As had  been

the case ever since the Yevetha mission had begun, what he saw on the grids

was instructive. He had been obliged to learn how to think like the  vermin

in order to exploit their weaknesses, and the grids had brought him all the

lessons and opportunities he could have asked for.

But the viceroy could still hardly  believe the mad absurdities he  had

witnessed, not least of all the scene playing out before him.

The idea that the  vermin were allowed to  speak against their  supreme

leader, without fear that they would be  slain on the spot and their  blood

used to drown their children-the idea that an anointed body of elders would

even listen  to an  outsider,  much less  give  credence to  an  outsider's

insults-these were notions no Yevetha could easily accept. If Nil Spaar had

not seen for himself the weak hand that now ruled over the vermin, he could

not have credited such reports.

The body  and  the  spirit  of the  vermin  were  fatally  polluted  by

impurities of blood  and honor.  Their thousands  of species  had the  same

quality of  unity as  a handful  of pebbles-each  still separate,  and  its

separate identity  preventing it  from merging  into a  greater whole.  The

vermin were contentiously divided, selfishly predatory, foolishly trusting,

relentlessly irrational, fatally idealistic. Not  a one of them had  earned

his respect. And none had earned more of his contempt than Tig Peramis, the

traitor whose face now filled both displays.

"I do, " Peramis was saying.

They will kill you slowly when  they learn what you have done,  thought

Nil Spaar, and you will well deserve it.

"Then proceed with your presentation, " said Behn-kihl-nahm.

A signal  light  appeared before  Nil  Spaar,  and he  muted  the  grid

displays.

"Yes, Senator, " he said. "I am here. "

His long fingers steepled with  gentle precision, Hiram Drayson  leaned

back in his chair  and watched as  the face on  the Senate monitor  changed

from that of Tig Peramis to that of Nil Spaar.

Drayson had hoped for-though not expected-a glimpse inside  theAramadia

, but the Yevetha had avoided that bit of carelessness.

Wherever Nil Spaar was transmitting from, the space behind him appeared

as empty and unenlightening as a blank bulkhead.

Given the  universal propensity  of starship  designers to  fill  every

available space, Drayson suspected the use of a screen, either physical  or

electronic.

"Before I begin, I  want to share my  deep regret over the  unfortunate

casualties resulting from our ascent from Eastport, " the viceroy said.

"It was with great sorrow that I learned that our warnings had not been

honored and the thrust radius of  theAramadia had not been cleared. We  had

no thought or  intention of injuring  anyone. We left  Eastport to avoid  a

confrontation, not to cause one. "

"Oh, very good, " Drayson said to himself, nodding. "Well done. "

"I regret  the casualties,  " Nil  Spaar went  on, "but  I cannot  take

responsibility for them. For more than three days we requested clearance to

leave Coruscant. Three members of  your Senate witnessed two such  attempts

and can testify that we received only silence in reply.

"We warned the tower at Eastport and the president that we would  raise

ship without clearance if they left us no other choice. Their only response

was to surround our  ship with more soldiers  and replace the ground  crews

with agents of the Intelligence Service. "

"Ah! " Drayson  thought. Very interesting.  Now, is it  that you  think

they'll believe  any accusation  against the  Service, or  do you  have  an

honest card to play to help sell the lies?

Allowing his fingers  to lace  together, Drayson rocked  slowly in  his

chair as he listened for the answer.

"Stars on fire, " Engh  breathed. "Is it possible  that any of this  is

true? Could there have  been some sort of  misunderstanding, and we  didn't

hear them asking for clearance? "

"Shut up, " Leia said.

Nearly every  seat  in the  Senate  chamber  was full  now.  Those  not

occupied by  their owners  had been  commandeered by  curious  interlopers.

Dozens more staffers lingered  in the aisles, along  the back wall, and  in

the open areas  near the entrance  doors. The six-meter-tall  image of  Nil

Spaar on the display boards commanded their attention more powerfully  than

anyone at the podium or in the well was accustomed to.

"It became clear that the government of Leia Organa intended to hold us

here against our will,  " Nil Spaar  said. "It became clear  to me that  we

could not wait  any longer. We  risked losing  not only the  right of  free

navigation we had been promised, but the capacity to exercise it.  Aramadia

is a consular ship. It is ill equipped to repel an armed assault.

"I am sure that those  of you who think  you know Princess Leia  Organa

may doubt that  she is capable  of ordering soldiers  to attack  diplomats.

After spending so many hours  with her, I thought I  knew her, and 1  would

have trouble believing  it, if  there were not  other evidence  of her  bad

faith. "

The screen flickered, and  Nil Spaar's face was  replaced by images  of

burned and twisted metal laid out on  bronze decking. "What you see now  is

the wreck age  of a New  Republic spy ship  which violated the  territorial

hegemony of  the Duskhan  League  four days  ago. It  self-destructed  when

spotted by a local patrol vessel, but we were able to recover enough of  it

to identify its purpose and origin. "

At that  moment,  the audience  in  the  Senate, in  offices  all  over

Imperial City, and on worlds throughout the New Republic saw Yevethan hands

turn over a  large fragment  to reveal a  recognizable portion  of the  New

Republic seal-the blue crest, the ring of stars, and the gold circle.

Drayson leaned forward, staring, then slowly rose to his feet.  "Bloody

bilge--that's no prowler. That's a flatfish, or used to be. " He stabbed at

his communication computer with a finger. "Verify. "

"Verified-Drayson, Hiram. "

"Call Kiles L'toth. Scramble. "

"Calling Kiles L'toth. Waiting. Verifying. Ready. "

"Kiles-this is Drayson. Is  that one of your  ships being splashed  all

over the grids by the Yevethan ambassador? "

The associate director's voice was shaky. "We, uh-yes, we think so.  It

could be  theAstrolabe .  She's  four hours  overdue  for her  logout  from

Doornik N1142. "

"Four hours. The viceroy  said this happened four  days ago. How is  it

you didn't know you'd lost a bird? "

"Admiral, you  know  there's not  usually  much traffic  while  they're

in-system. Look, what he's saying-it's not true. Astrolabe wasn't on a  spy

mission. This was routine survey work-"

"I didn't ask, "  said Drayson. "But others  will. Better work on  your

answers. "

Princess Leia's face paled when three red body bags appeared briefly on

the monitor.

"I regret  to report  that there  were no  survivors, "  Nil Spaar  was

saying. "We were  able to recover  three bodies, which  we are prepared  to

make arrangements to return. "

The viceroy's face reappeared.  "But we cannot  and will not  negotiate

this or  any  other  matter  with  President  Princess  Leia  Organa  Solo.

Everything she has said to  us has been revealed by  her actions as a  lie.

She claims  to  negotiate in  good  faith, while  she  sends spies  to  our

homelands. She claims to respect our independence, and yet she sends a  New

Republic fleet toward our  territory. She claims to  want a treaty  between

equals, and  yet  she seeks  to  weaken  our position  with  espionage  and

threats.

"I do not know that any act is  beyond her, if she thinks it will  help

secure her power.  I am  gravely disappointed to  learn that  she falls  so

short of the ideals to which the New Republic aspires.

"At this very moment,  I, my staff, and  my crew are imprisoned  within

the planetary shield of Coruscant. We are being hounded by a battle cruiser

of the  Coruscant  Home  Fleet.  We  want nothing  but  to  return  to  our

homeworld-but Princess Leia stands in our  way, denying us the freedoms  to

which she so glibly gives lip service.

"I ask the chairmen  of the Senate a  nd each member world  represented

there to use whatever influence you can to persuade the princess to abandon

her needlessly reckless and aggressive course. Open the shield. Allow us to

go home. "

The Senate erupted in angry voices and harsh words as Nil Spaar's  face

vanished from the displays.

"Turn it off, " Leia said, and slumped into a chair.

"Turn it off! " she repeated sharply when Engh and Ackbar were slow  to

move.

Engh finally  complied,  and  the  monitor  dimmed  to  the  color  and

brightness of the wall on which it hung. For a moment there was silence  in

the room.

Ackbar turned away to the  viewpane, embarrassed for his friend.  "This

is a disaster, " he said simply.

"He's misinterpreted everything, " Leia said disbelievingly. "How could

this have happened? We played right  into their strongest fears. How  could

it have gone so wrong? "

"Leia-we must do somethings" Engh pleaded with his eyes.

She nodded, and it  seemed a great  effort. "Contact General  Baintorf.

Have him open the shield. Tell theBrilliant to break off. Let them go.  Ask

Benny if he'll appoint a representative of the Senate to arrange  retrieval

of the bodies. "

"Yes, Princess. Right away.  " Engh excused himself  as though glad  to

escape.

"Flawlessly played, " said  Hiram Drayson. He  stood with crossed  arms

before the  monitor,  watching  as Senator  Peramis  and  Senator  Hodidiji

submitted Articles of Withdrawal for  their respective worlds. Three  other

small worlds, all  represented in  the Senate by  their hereditary  rulers,

followed suit before Behn-kihl-nahm succeeded in suspending the session.

As the grids broke away from live coverage to analysis, Drayson  called

up a recording of Nil Spaar's  address. "Utterly flawless, " he said  after

watching the replay, affirming his original judgment. There was more than a

touch of admiration in his voice.

"But there's one missing piece, Viceroy, " he added, stroking his  face

with one large hand, a thoughtful expression in his intent black eyes.

"What did it gain you? What's the payoff for weakening Leia's hand  and

stirring up the Senate? There's something  not seen here-" Turning back  to

his desk, Drayson spun his computer toward him. "Verify. "

"Verified-Drayson, Hiram. "

"Call Etahn A'baht. Scramble and blind-route. "

"Calling Etahn A'baht. Working. Waiting, Verifying-"

"Admiral Ackbar. "

The big Calamari  turned away from  the viewpane to  find the  princess

standing near the door. "Yes, Leia. "

"Why was  one  of our  ships  anywhere  near Koornacht?  Did  you  know

anything about this? "

"I do not have any answers, " Ackbar said uncomfortably.

"Try to find some for me, " she said, and turned away.

"Where are you going? "

Leia looked back over her shoulder. "Home, to think about resigning. "

"Leia-"

"Don't try to argue with me, " she said. "Not now. Maybe tomorrow. "

The Battle Operations Center of the fleet carrierIntrepid was  deserted

except for  two generals  carrying unhappy  burdens. General  Etahn  A'baht

carried the burden  of knowing  what he had  done, while  General Han  Solo

carried the burden of knowing what must come.

For more than two hours A'baht had been signaling Coruscant, attempting

to speak directly with Princess Leia. All his attempts, using every  direct

and indirect route available to him, had failed.

He had reached Fleet Operations, the administrative message center,  an

apologetic first  administrator, an  uncharacteristically taciturn  Admiral

Ackbar, the  president's communications  and  protocol droid,  and  message

boxes for half a dozen offices and their highly placed occupants. But  Leia

herself seemed  to have  disappeared from  the command  and  communications

structure of Imperial City, and no one A'baht spoke to seemed overly  eager

to look for her.

Finally Ackbar  had  agreed  to  carry a  message  for  A'baht  to  the

resident's residence, asking  Leia to  contact him on  board theIntrepid  .

That was  when  the waiting  began-an  excruciatingly tedious  exercise  in

clock-watching and uncomfortable silence.  The sprawling BOC, which  easily

absorbed  dozens  of   officers  and  ratings   when  staffed,  seemed   as

claustrophobic as a cell inIntrepid's brig.

When the hypercomm finally lit up  and squawked a Red Line alert,  both

men started.  When  the  holodisplay  brightened  to  show  Leia  from  the

shoulders up, Han was startled and dismayed by how pallid her face was, how

dark and lifeless her eyes.

"General A'baht, " she said  with a nod. Her  voice was husky, and  she

cleared her throat after she spoke.

"Princess Leia, " said A'baht. "Thank you for responding to my request.

"

"I understand from Admiral  Ackbar that you  have some information  for

me. "

"Yes, Princess. " He straightened his back and sat tall in his chair.

"I am the  person responsible  for the astrographic  probes being  sent

into Farlax. Before the Fifth sailed, I requested an updated survey of that

sector, including Koornacht  Cluster. I  did this with  the full  knowledge

that this was in violation  of your orders. I  offer no excuse, and  accept

full responsibility for my actions. "

There was hardly  a flicker  of reaction  on Leia's  face. "Thank  you,

General. You  are  relieved of  command,  effective immediately.  The  next

person to sit here will decide the rest. " Her eyes sought Han.

"General Solo. "

"Yes, Leia, " Han said, stepping forward.

"I'm placing you in command in General A'baht's stead. Your orders  are

to bring the Fifth Fleet back to Coruscant as soon as possible. "

"Uh-Leia-"

Her pain shone  momentarily through  the mask of  numbness. "Just  come

home, Han-please. " The holodisplay went dark.

A'baht turned away from the hypercomm. "I'm sorry, " he said, standing.

"You will need to recall the patrols before turning the formation. "

"What? Sure. Now forget  excuses, and tell  me why you  did it. "  When

A'baht hesitated, Han added, "That's an order. "

"Very  well,  "  said  A'baht.  "I  believed  I  had  been  denied  the

information I needed to do my job properly-both parts of my job, protecting

my command and protecting the New Republic's interests. Princess Leia  made

a military decision for political reasons,  and it left me in an  untenable

position. I attempted  to make an  end run around  her objections by  going

outside the Fleet, to the  Astrographic Survey Institute. You already  know

the results. "

"I think I do. Do you? "

"What do you mean? "

"That flatfish was no spy ship. "

"No. "

"And it didn't blow itself up, did it? "

"No. "

"Then maybe it found what you  wanted it to find-what you were  worried

is out here. "

"Perhaps so, " said A'baht. "But  it doesn't matter. The probe made  no

report, and  there'll be  no  more probes  sent  into that  area.  Whatever

secrets the Yevetha have, they'll keep. " He saluted diffidently.

"Request permission to return to my quarters, sir. "

Han frowned. "Granted, " he said, and A'baht headed for the hatchway.

"General-" A'baht paused and turned back.

"How many prowlers are assigned to the Fifth Fleet? "

"One squadron-eight.  There are  also two  squadrons of  reconnaissance

drones. "

Han gestured broadly at the bank of empty stations.

"You want to tell me which one of these buttons calls in your  tactical

staff? "

"What are you saying? " A'baht's face wore an uncertain expression.

"Well-we know someone  or something  out here's unfriendly  to the  New

Republic, " Han said grimly. "Right? "

"I'd say so. "

"Seems as  though we'd  better do  something to  cover our  withdrawal,

then. That seem reasonable to you? "

"You are in command of the Fleet, General Solo. "

"So I am, " Han said. "And I never turn my back to a dark corner when I

know someone's after me. Which button? "

A'baht pointed. "There. "

Chapter 14

"Koornacht Cluster" was always an outsider's name-an astronomer's name,

hundreds of  years  old, but  barely  more meaningful  than  a  cataloger's

letters and numbers.

Aitro Koornacht had  done a  favor involving  a woman  and an  Imperial

coach for the First Observer at the Court of Emperor Preedu III, on Tamban.

That next  night,  the astronomer  spotted  a  bright, fuzzy  disk  in  the

eyepiece of his newest telescope.  That grateful First Observer had  repaid

his benefactor by naming the newly discovered star cluster after the  night

commander of the palace guard.

But that same gathering of stars had other names.

To the Fia of Galantos, in whose  skies it appeared as a great oval  of

light, it was known as The Multitude.

The Wehttam, another galactic neighbor, revered it as God's Temple.

The Ka'aa, a  wandering species old  enough to have  seen the  youngest

stars in the Cluster  wink on, remembered it  as no'aat padu'LL the  Little

Nursery.

The Yevetha knew it by a word that meant Home.

Two thousand suns and  twenty thousand worlds,  all born together  from

the same great cloud of dust and  gas that still filled the spaces  between

them. They were young suns and hard worlds, and there were few eyes on hand

to know  either.  The  faces of  fewer  than  a hundred  planets  had  been

brightened with the colors  of life, and only  a single species spawned  in

the Cluster had made the leap from its home soil to the stars.

Two thousand suns keeping company in space, burning so brightly in  the

skies over N'zoth and its daughter worlds that they blinded the eye to  the

dimmer lights, the wider galaxy beyond. It was not until visitors came from

beyond the Cluster to  mine its riches that  the Yevetha learned they  were

not alone.

It was  a difficult  lesson. A  young species  with a  hard ethic,  the

Yevetha were accustomed to their place as the center of their universe.

The relentless otherness of the  outsiders was a profound challenge  to

the Yevetha's conception  of themselves.  In the  end, the  answer to  that

challenge was a new vision built on purity of line, sanctity of  territory,

and hate.

The occupation by the Empire had been an education for the Yevetha,  in

more ways than one.

When the Empire came  to Koornacht, it belonged  to the Yevetha  alone.

Traveling through realspace in their immaculate spherical thrustships, they

had spread from the spawnworld of N'zoth to eleven daughter worlds.

In all the recorded history of  the galaxy, no species had  established

more interstellar colonies without the benefit of hyperdrive technology. To

the Yevetha, the stars  of N'zoth's bright night  sky seemed to hover  just

above their heads,  beckoning. Their  will was  strong enough  to leap  the

distances between the stars.

After the Empire retreated  from Koornacht, that will  was wedded to  a

technology that could leap the  distances between the stars. Vastly  faster

ships made the other Yevethan worlds seem no farther away from N'zoth  than

the other  side of  the globe,  and  Imperial comm  units could  carry  the

viceroy's voice throughout the Cluster in  a matter of minutes. N'zoth  and

its daughter  worlds were  bound together  as  one in  a way  never  before

possible, and the  Second Birth began.  The Yevetha scouted  and settled  a

dozen more  prime  worlds  in  a spasm  of  expansion  that  satisfied  the

frustrated ambition of the occupation years.

But the greater vision guiding the Yevetha required a longer period  of

preparation and consideration. In that  time, Yevethan engineers worked  to

adapt thrustship designs to Imperial technologies, while the metal artisans

labored  to  complete  and  repair  the  captured  warships.  Claiming  and

protecting all of the Yevethan birthright  would require that and more,  an

unparalleled marshaling  of  effort-not only  ships  and crews,  but  whole

communities, an entire  generation ready  to leave their  birthworld for  a

home in the sky of stars.

And it would also require that  someone go before and prepare the  way.

For during its time as trustee of Koornacht Cluster, the Empire had allowed

some immigrant colonies,  encouraged others, and  created still others  for

its own purposes.  When the  Empire. left  Koornacht, the  Yevetha were  no

longer alone.

The  transfer   betweenAramadia  and   the  eight-kilometer-long   Star

DestroyerPride of Yevetha  took place at  a reridezvous point  deep in  the

heart of the Koornacht  Cluster, far from any  prying eyes. Three trips  by

the thrustship's  ferry  were required  to  complete the  transfer  of  the

viceroy. In the first  trip his darna and  breeding mates came across.  The

second brought his personal  staff, including first  attach Eri Palle.  The

final run delivered  the honor  guard, Nil  Spaar himself,  and Vor  Duull,

Ararnadia's proctor of  information science.  Vor Duull's  inclusion was  a

reward for his work during the successful Coruscant mission.

They were met by Dar Bille, who had been Nil Spaar's loyal second since

long before the day of retribution.

Now primate ofPride of  Yevetha , he had  directed the training of  the

other primates as each former Imperial warship had joined the growing Black

Fleet.

"Etaias, "  Dar Bille  said,  adding the  salute  of obeisance  to  the

honorific. It  was more  than was  called for  by the  difference in  their

standing, and  drove the  lower-ranking officers  behind him  to a  similar

excess; each dropped to one knee and bowed his head.

"Noreti, " Nil Spaar said warmly. "This was unnecessary, but it pleases

me. Eri, see that everyone finds his quarters. Dar, lead me to the  bridge.

Is the fleet ready? "

"This way,  Viceroy. The  fleet  is well  ready. ButGlorycould  not  be

launched in time to join us, " Dar Bille said, knowing that Nil Spaar would

not be surprised by that news. Glorywas the vessel the Imperials had called

EX-F, and its curious propulsion system, unlike that in any other starship,

had been an ongoing vexation.

As he  followed  Dar  Bille  into  the  corridor,  Nil  Spaar  let  his

fingertips graze  across the  bare necks  of the  kneeling officers  as  he

passed them. The  touch symbolized  his acceptance  of the  offer of  their

lives, and freed them to rise. "And the others? " he asked.

"After the  last  combat trial,  I  made  the decision  that  the  crew

ofBlessingswas not ready. But that will not hinder us on this mission. "

"I presume the primate earned the expected reward for his failure. "

"He did, at my hand, and his second as well. "

"Excellent, " said Nil Spaar. "It doesn't do for those who serve in the

lesser posts to think that the knife will cut only the throat of authority.

"

"The new  primate  ofBlessingsexpects  another  combat  trial  when  we

return. Perhaps you would like to witness it. "

"Perhaps, " Nil  Spaar said as  they reached the  bridge. "For now,  my

mind is full of  the work ahead of  us. And of memories.  It seems a  right

thing to me that  you should be  the primate of my  flagship today. Do  you

remember theBeauty  , and  the day  we  discovered the  first nest  of  the

vermin? "

The little starshipBeauty , a former Imperial corvette, had carried Nil

Spaar to the  far reaches  of the Cluster  and beyond.  That long  scouting

mission had  opened his  eyes to  the true  challenge ahead  and had  given

purpose to everything he had  done since. He had  taken the measure of  the

All and understood  its meaning,  taken the  measure of  their enemies  and

understood their  threat, and  had  come home  to  N'zoth to  make  himself

viceroy.

"Of course, etaias. And here we are again, together on the bridge of  a

fine ship. Soon  we will again  look down  undetected on the  nests of  the

vermin-but this time they will  know that we were  there. " He looked  past

Nil Spaar to the proctor of  information. "Lilatb-what news do you have  of

the New Republic's Fifth Fleet? "

"Primate, our shadow reports the fleet has disappeared from Hatawa. Our

contacts on Coruscant tell us that it has been recalled. "

Nil Spaar bowed his head and breathed relief.

"Then it will be done. I am vindicated. "

Dar Bille turned  a proud and  joyful face toward  Nil Spaar. "On  your

orders, Viceroy. "

"I wish to speak to all our vessels. "

Turning  quickly  toward  the  proctor  of  communications,  Dar  Bille

arranged the necessary connections and  announced the viceroy to the  crews

of the twenty five warships secreted in twos and threes across the Cluster.

"Remember that we are the blessed, born of the light of the All, "  Nil

Spaar told them. "All beauty  belongs to us. All that  we see in our  skies

was meant for our children. It was  not meant for the creatures that  creep

in from  the darkness  beyond. Their  presence alone  fouls the  light  and

defaces the beauty of the All.

"Today we will remove them, as the steward of a granary must remove the

vermin to keep the stocks pure. And when next you stand on N'zoth and  look

to the sky, you will know that none but the children of N'zoth stand  above

you. "

Then Nil Spaar stepped away from the hyper-comm and looked back to  Dar

Bille. "You may give the order, " he said generously.

Dar Bille's crests swelled with pride and gratitude.

"All  vessels  of  the   Black  Fleet-this  is   the  primate  of   the

flagshipPride of Yevetha , " he said in a strong clear voice. "On the  word

of the viceroy, I direct you to commence your attacks. May each of us honor

the name of the Yevetha today. "

Wearing an approving look on his dirty, deep-lined face, Negus  Nigekus

slammed the check hatch shut and threw the locking bolt home. The ore sheds

were more than two-thirds full,  and there was still  a month to go  before

the gypsy freighter returned to New  Brigia. Perhaps this time there  would

finally be enough profit over the cost of their supplies to clear the  last

of their passage debt.

Nigekus would never have dreamed that after eighteen years working  the

chromite digs in the hills above the village, the little colony would still

owe a debt to the captain of the freighter that had brought them there.  In

the beginning the land had been generous.

And with the Cluster under the  Empire's protection and their claim  to

New Brigia accepted by  Coruscant, there had been  more than enough  buyers

for the blue-white metal to ensure good prices.

War-so long as it stayed at a safe distance-was good for business.

In the  first four  years there  wasn't a  quarter when  the  community

failed to pare its  debt. Even with  the extra costs  as families left  the

longhouses for  cottage shelters,  even  feeding new  mouths too  young  to

contribute, and  the mothers  who gave  their labor  share in  the  nursery

rather than the  mines, even  the summer when  the crops  withered and  the

winter when the processing dome burned, there was always something  offered

against their obligations.

But then the land had grown stingy, and, not long after, the Empire was

gone. With the spacelanes from Koornacht to Galantos and Wehttam no  longer

secure, the colony's best buyers lowered their offers or stopped bidding at

all, pointing to the risk of piracy.

In time only Captain Stanz  and theFreebirdcame calling, and his  price

was the lowest of all-an insult to  the sweat and labor of the two  hundred

who each morning hiked up from the village to the diggings and each evening

returned bowed by their labors. But Stanz  was a pirate in heart if not  in

fact, and had no sympathy for them.

"This is  droid work  yer doing,  " he  said, "picking  rocks from  the

ground. You  can't expect  a living  wage  for droid  work. Even  at  these

prices, it's hardly worth my trouble to come here. "

Nigekus doubted the truth of that, but there was no point in arguing.

He had no choice but to stand there and listen to Stanz's poor-mouthing

as he figured the  load and calculated the  overage, using whatever  prices

the old  Bothan's whim  dictated. And  for years  the overage  had  hovered

around the figure for a quarter's  interest, sometimes a little more,  more

often a little less, with the shortfall added to THEIR debt.

If the community  had had  its own  hauler, even  a worn-out  Corellian

freighter or a battered space barge--but that was a dream beyond reason.

Still, the land had suddenly turned  kind again, with two new  diggings

bringing up rich ore that reminded the surviving elders of the promise that

had coaxed them there  from Brigia. If  they earned no  more for this  load

than the price Stanz had paid on  his last visit, the overage should  cover

not only the interest but the balance.

To guarantee that,  Nigekus had decided  that this time  he would  hold

back a third  of the ore  until Stanz set  the price. It  was a tactic  not

without risk, or it might have been  tried long before. If the Bothan  took

offense, the community could lose its lifeline-and the offender might  lose

his life.

But Nigekus was  determined to  see New Brigia  escape Captain  Stanz's

thrall before the dust-cough that now plagued him at night rendered him fit

only to sweeten the  dirt of the  gardens. If Stanz snapped  his neck in  a

fury at being caught as a cheat, Nigekus would lose little.

"He will only spare me the last  weeks of the coughing death, " he  had

said to the other elders in winning their approval. "And you can then  kill

him without shame, and claim his ship as honor payment to my family. "

Negus Nigekus walked slowly  but proudly across  the common toward  the

processing dome, his thin body warmed  by the knowledge that a turning  was

coming.

It had been  hard for him  to admit that  he could no  longer make  the

climb to the diggings and do more than take up space in the pit. The  aches

of hard labor were easier to bear than the deep ache of feeling useless, of

standing with the children and  feeling that he had  become one of them,  a

mouth that could not earn its table share. He was grateful to have found  a

way of escaping that feeling.

Before Nigekus reached the dome, a shadow flashed across the common.

But by the time he  looked skyward, there was  nothing to be seen.  The

whine and clatter of the machinery had covered the sound of the approaching

dropships until very  near the end,  and the landing  sites were  downriver

around the bend, safely out of view. Shaking his head, Nigekus entered  the

dome, ignorant  of the  threat  already moving  up  the valley  toward  the

village.

When he  left  the  dome  just a  few  minutes  later,  his  inspection

complete, everything had changed.  Tall creatures in  green and brown  body

armor were advancing  through the  village in  a wide  line, their  weapons

turning the cottages  into burned  and broken shells.  A child's  screaming

pierced the  din of  the  machinery behind  him,  then ended  with  ominous

abruptness.

Nigekus was ignored  or overlooked  long enough  to take  half a  dozen

uncertain steps out into the common, long enough to realize in horror  that

some of the  blackened OBJECTS  littering the ground  were carcasses,  long

enough to feel a  wild rush of  indignation over the fact  that he did  not

even know the species of the invaders.

Then he found his voice  and cried out his  rage, raised both fists  in

defiance and started across the common toward the nearest of the  soldiers.

A silver-barreled weapon  turned his way,  and Nigekus fell  in agony,  his

last breath full of fire.

Two of the diggers at Pit 4 had seen the descending ships, making  that

crew the first to start back down  to the village. The pall of black  smoke

rising over the ridgelines  drew the other crews  away from their work  and

onto the well-trod trails. Some had shouldered their tools as weapons,  but

most were armed only with fear for their families. They had had no  enemies

on New  Brigia, and  energy weapons  were  a luxury  the colony  could  not

afford.

The Yevethan troops,  masked against the  smoke and the  stench of  the

vermin, waited patiently in the village for the diggers to return.

There was no need to do anything more. As Nil Spaar had predicted,  the

sight of the ravaged village gave the diggers the final spur to a  reckless

charge.

It was a methodical slaughter. Standing back to back in a circle on the

common, the soldiers allowed  the diggers to reach  the valley floor,  then

cut them down.

The last few deaths were suicides in all but name.

With both  the carnage  and  the futility  before them,  the  remaining

Brigians dropped their inadequate weapons, gave up their cover, and  walked

down the slopes to the village, offering themselves as targets rather  than

be left alive to remember.

When it was over, and the  breeze falling through the valley had  blown

all but the last tendrils of smoke away, only the Yevethan troops, the  ore

sheds, and the processing dome were left standing.

It was no accident that those buildings had survived.

As the troops returned downriver to their dropships, a fat-bodied cargo

transport landed  on the  common. Within  an hour  its empty  belly  easily

swallowed both the  contents of the  ore sheds and  the machinery from  the

processing dome.

Once the cargo  transport was  safely clear  of the  target zone,  Star

Dream completed its sterilization of the valley with a long salvo from  the

cruiser's heavy batteries.

The bodies turned  to vapor and  vanished, and the  blood was  scorched

from the rocks. The  ground turned to black  glass, and the river  exploded

into steam.

When the barrage was over, nothing was left of the vermin but the holes

they had carved  in the ground  with their  hands and the  trails they  had

beaten into the hills with their footsteps.

Star  Dreamreturned  to  N'zoth  triumphant  in  herGlorious   victory,

carrying a passage price in chromite in her hold.

In a garden  city on  J't'p'tan, a world  gentled by  patient hands,  a

woman awoke from a dream to a nightmare. A falling star became a  starship,

the starship a warship, and the warship a fountain of death raining on  the

face of the world.  In the dream,  or the nightmare,  the Current ran  wild

with the  thrashings of  murdered souls,  and ran  dark with  the stain  of

blood.

"Rouse  everyone,  at  once,  "  Wialu  said,  shaking  her   daughter.

"Hurry-something terrible has begun. "

New Brigia was the smallest  of the thirteen alien settlements  visited

by the ships  of the  Black Fleet  in the first  hour of  the Great  Purge.

Polneye was the largest, and the only one to fight back.

Orbiting a star on the far side of the Cluster from Coruscant,  Polneye

was an orphan child of the Empire.

It had been  established to  serve as a  secret military  transshipment

port for Farlax Sector. Cloaked in high altitude clouds whose rains  rarely

reached the ground, arid Polneye became home to a vast open-air armory  and

supply depot.

Bustling hub-and-spoke landing  and holding zones  sprawled across  the

dusky-brown  flats.  Eventually,  even  the  largest  vessels  capable   of

grounding could  be accommodated,  with  cargoes unloaded,  assembled,  and

transferred by small armies of droids.

As the traffic through Polneye grew, so did the population. At first it

was a purely  military billet, staffed  by the Supply  Command on a  normal

rotation.

The planet was chosen  to satisfy certain  strategic criteria, not  for

its suitability for habitation.  But over time, as  more and more jobs  ere

bid out to  civilians, the center  of each  landing zone had  grown into  a

small city largely comprised of semipermanent residents.

When the beaten  remnants of  the Imperial Fleet  abandoned Farlax  and

retreated into the  Core, the military  staff fled in  whatever ships  were

available on  the  ground.  But  the civilian  population,  which  by  then

numbered nearly a  quarter-million scattered across  fifty sites, was  left

behind to fend for itself.

And though, suddenly, transports no  longer dropped through the  clouds

with thrusters roaring to land on Polneye, the droids and cargoes that  had

been waiting for them proved  a rich enough treasure  to ease the shock  of

abandonment. Virtually everything  a great  army and a  fleet of  starships

required to function could be found somewhere in the cargo containers  left

scattered on holding pads across the face of Polneye.

There were few missteps,  and little was  wasted or discarded.  Polneye

was blessed by strong leadership at the outset, and the cargoes became  the

raw material for a transformation from client to self-sustaining settlement

to a unified state of eight consolidated cities.

So it was that the Yevethan warshipsHonor, Liberty,  andDevotionarrived

over a  planet  boasting  a  healthy population  of  nearly  three  hundred

thousand  sentients,  seventy  thousand  droids-and  six  operational   TIE

interceptors.

"Weapons master! Attend me! Why has the attack not begun? "

The weapons master of the Star  Destroyer Devotion bowed deeply to  Jip

Toorr before speaking.

"Primate, there is an ionization  inversion above the clouds over  this

planet. Together, the two are  interfering with the targeting computers  on

all our ships.  I am not  confident that  the accuracy of  our firing  will

satisfy your expectations. "

"The viceroy has expectations  as well, which we  both must fulfill,  "

said Jip Toorr. "How do you propose that we do so? "

"Sir-there are  scout fighters  waiting in  their bays  to confirm  the

success of our attack. I  ask that three of them  be launched now and  sent

below the clouds to direct the fire of our batteries. "

"Will this provide  the accuracy needed  to ensure the  success of  our

mission? "

"Without fail, Primate. "

"Then I so order it. Tactics  master, launch three scout fighters.  The

weapons master will direct them. "

The last  of  the  navigation satellites  on  which  Polneye's  traffic

control system  had depended  had  failed nearly  a  year earlier,  or  the

arrival of the Yevethan task force would have been detected as soon as  the

ships exited hyperspace.

But the  ground components  of the  traffic control  system were  still

operational. Alarms began to sound  the moment the Yevethan scout  fighters

cleared the  ionization  boundary,  calling technicians  to  rarely  tended

stations. Many other Polneyi ran  outside to look up  and see what sort  of

visitors had come calling.

Those whose eyes were sharp enough saw three tiny black ships  circling

just below the clouds. One  was over the city  called Nine South, a  second

over Eleven North,  and the third  over the ghost  city of Fourteen  North,

which was still being cannibalized for its structures and equipment.

Then fire poured down from the sky. Fierce turbolaser pulses tore holes

in the clouds and split the air, and all three cities vanished under  acrid

mushroom clouds  of golden  dust and  black smoke.  Even after  the  firing

stopped, thunder  rumbled across  the open  reaches of  Polneye like  death

drums.

On what had been one of the wide, flat landing pads of Ten South, those

who had come out to watch the visitors land were evenly divided between the

stunned and the screaming.  A man near  Plat Mallar went  to his knees  and

vomited. Turning away from the sight, Mallar found a woman clawing madly at

her allsuit with such  force that she was  bleeding profusely from  beneath

what was  left  of  her nails.  The  sight  galvanized Mallar  out  of  his

paralysis, and he began edging his way toward the east edge of the pad.

Then a cry went up, as someone in the gathering saw that the tiny  ship

that had been circling over  Nine South was moving  to a new position  over

Nine North.

In a matter of moments,  the crowd broke and  ran, some for the  feeble

but comforting shelter of the terminal buildings, some for the open  spaces

beyond the city, as far from the city as their legs would carry them.

Mallar fought free of the sudden stampede, then turned and ran as well.

Twelve students in  Mallar's second-form engineering  classes had  been

granted the privilege of learning to  maintain and fly the TIE  interceptor

berthed in 10S Technical Institute's docking bay and equipment garage.  The

bay was halfway around the  terminal hub from where  he had stood with  the

crowd, and though he ran  as hard as he could,  he didn't expect to be  the

first of the twelve to arrive.

But he was. The bay doors were standing open, and members of the junior

form were  hastily  clearing away  the  droids and  vehicles  blocking  the

entrance, but the cockpit of the interceptor was still unoccupied.

breather  from  the   equipment  lockers,  he   clambered  up  on   the

interceptor's right-side wing  brace and popped  the access hatch  release.

"You! " he shouted, pointing at the nearest student. "I need a power  droid

over here, now! "

By the time  Mallar settled  in the  cockpit and  started the  power-up

sequence, two other would-be pilots had arrived. With a cool and purposeful

efficiency that would  have done a  carrier deck crew  credit, they  helped

hasten the dull gray power droid into position beside the fighter.

The moment the power coupling clicked in the starting port, Mallar  ran

up the capacitors for both ion engines, then dropped them back to a neutral

idle.

There was no point in completing  the rest of the system checks.  There

was no time for repairs, and crashing  was no more fearful a prospect  than

the next attack from beyond the clouds.

"That's got it, " Mallar called over the microphone. "Uncouple me,  and

then clear the bay-I'm flying her out. "

Ordinarily, the TIE would have been towed  out of the bay and onto  the

landing pad on her skids by a tug droid. But that would take precious time,

and Mallar was already afraid he was  far too late. The moment the last  of

the other  students  fled out  the  bay  doorway, he  shoved  the  throttle

forward.

The interceptor jerked  forward as the  engine back-blast lifted  loose

debris and rained it on the fighter's combat-hardened solar panels.

Picking up speed  rapidly, the  ship began to  lift just  as it  passed

through the  bay doorway,  and the  upper edge  of the  left panel  dragged

against the  durasteel  frame with  a  screech that  shivered  everyone  in

earshot, including Mallar.

Then, with a bump and a lurch,  the ship cleared the bay, bursting  out

into the bright, diffuse light of a Polneye midday. Pointing the twin booms

of the wing-mounted  cannon skyward,  Mallar threw the  interceptor into  a

full-power climb.

The tiny black ships were still  circling high in the air like  carrion

birds. Activating his targeting  system, Mallar was  heartened to see  that

three more of the settlement's TIE interceptors were in the air.  Selecting

the nearest target  and steering toward  it, Mallar then  did something  no

instructor had ever authorized-powered up the four Seinar laser cannon.

With an insistent beeping, the targeting system informed Mallar that it

had identified the primary target as a TIE/rc reconnaissance fighter.

But to Mallar's surprise, there was no safety interlock preventing  him

from firing on what the interceptor took to be a friendly target.

Moments after the target was identified, the attack computer locked on.

TARGET TARGET, said the cockpit display as the indicators changed  from

red to green.

He squeezed both triggers, and the ship quivered around him as the quad

cannon spoke.

No one was  more surprised than  Mallar when the  target stayed in  his

sights and then exploded  in a yellow-white gout  of flame. Whether it  was

the interceptor's superior speed, Mallar's crude headlong rush up from  the

surface, or simple surprise, the TIE/rc never responded to the  approaching

ship's presence.

As he  blew past  the  falling debris,  Mallar  heard voices  over  the

interceptor's combat comm, exulting.

But he himself felt neither joy nor relief. He was shaking and  covered

in clammy  sweat,  the  reckless momentum  dissipated,  the  awful  reality

sinking in.

The interceptor entered the clouds, and  in the next moment Mallar  was

suddenly blinded by light pouring in through the viewports. The interceptor

was shoved  roughly sideways  as  though by  a  great hand,  and  shuddered

violently in the aftermath. For a long  moment he was certain his ship  had

been hit and he was about to die.

But the moment stretched out, and he did not die.

The afterimage of the flash began to fade from his eyes, and his  ship,

still climbing, emerged intact  into the space between  the clouds and  the

stars.

**** gently at  him, and Mallar  squinted, first to  read the  display,

then to peer out the viewport.  What he finally saw nearly overwhelmed  him

with fear. Riding above him in orbit was the largest ship he had ever seen,

a great triangular shape  bristling with gun  ports and launching  fighters

from bays on either side.

"Identify. "

PRIMARY TARGET VICTORY-CLASS STAR DESTROYER, the computer informed him.

And he was still climbing toward it.

SECONDARY TARGETS "I don't want to know, " Mallar said nervously.

Hauling the  interceptor  over on  its  back,  he dove  away  from  the

starship at a flat angle and all  possible speed, seeking the cover of  the

clouds.

The weapons master of theDevotionlay cowering on the bridge catwalk.

The ship's primate, whose backhand blow had sent the master  sprawling,

loomed over him.

"Your incompetence  sacrificed the  life  of a  Yevethan pilot!  "  the

primate bellowed. "How will you repay his family for this dishonor? "

"Sir! I wasn't told that this infestation was capable of resistance-"

"The scout fighter was  under your direction. You  did not free him  to

pursue or evade when the vermin fighter appeared. That is your offense. "

"We were preparing to fire-"

"You are relieved. And there will be  a price in blood, I promise.  Get

out of here. Report to the stockade. "

The primate turned to the tactics master.

"Launch your fighters. I want the skies of Polneye cleared of vermin. "

The fight for Polneye did not last long.

One of the three TIE interceptors that followed Mallar into the air was

piloted by a first-form student who had  never been aloft. That he got  the

ship off  the  ground under  control  was a  credit  to the  simplicity  of

Imperial cockpit  design. But  the first-former's  target melted  into  the

clouds while he was still calling for help unlocking the laser cannon.  Not

long after, a squadron of Yevethan fighters, tracking his comm signal, fell

on him  from the  clouds. His  flight ended  in a  fiery flat  spin and  an

explosion on the plains east of Twelve North.

The  interceptor  launched  from  Eleven  South  was  piloted  by   the

engineering instructor. Like Mallar, he climbed through the cloud layer  to

the edge  of  space  and found  the  cruiserLibertyorbiting  above.  Unlike

Mallar, he did not  escape after his  discovery. An antifighter  turbolaser

battery on the cruiser tracked the interceptor and blew it into a  thousand

pieces, which returned to the surface as a rain of metal.

A veteran combat pilot was at the controls of the interceptor from Nine

North, but he barely escaped  the destruction of the  city, and one of  the

fighter's engines was damaged by shrapnel. It faltered as he was swept into

a dogfight with three Yevethan fighters, and he and his ship vanished in  a

brilliant ball of flame.

The fourth  interceptor was  destroyed on  the ground  by strafing  TIE

fighters as a frantic volunteer crew tried to ready it for launch.

The fifth was lost in the first moments of the attack, as Eleven  North

came under Liberty's savage cannonade.

Plat Mallar's success against  the TIE/rc was the  only victory of  the

day, and no one was more aware  than he how meaningless it was. Because  he

was afraid to die,  he fled to the  far side of the  planet, hiding in  the

clouds under  the ionization  shield the  Empire had  created for  Polneye.

Because he was afraid to  face the guilt of  not dying, he lingered  there,

circling.

Before long, though, both of those fears paled against the fear that no

one would  ever  know what  had  happened to  his  parents and  lovers  and

friends.

After reviewing the images captured by his combat recorder, he realized

that he had to have more, and turned back.

Approaching the cities  of Polneye, Mallar  brought the interceptor  up

above the clouds just long enough  to record the three marauding  warships,

now orbiting together.

If his little fighter appeared on their defense screens at all, it  was

as a momentary blip among the static caused by the inversion.

Then he dipped below the clouds, and found the sky free of fighters.

His holocam scanned across  the ruins of  seven cities, captured  seven

thin plumes of  smoke spaced  across the plains.  But only  seven, for  Ten

South was still standing,  and a giant  transport was ground-docked  beside

it.

The sight brought the first hope to Mallar's heart since Nine South had

disappeared under blaster fire.

There was a  chance for more  than mere justice-there  was a chance  he

could bring help in time to matter.

Ducking back between the veils, he pushed both the interceptor and  his

ability to control it to the limit, racing for the receding horizon.

Half an hour  later, on  the far side  of Polneye,  a tiny  single-seat

fighter with a  determined young student  at the controls  flung itself  up

from the clouds and out toward the stars.

Aboard the  flagshipPride of  Yevetha ,  Viceroy Nil  Spaar  personally

supervised the extermination of  the Kubaz colony-a particularly  repulsive

variety of vermin,  he thought,  with faces  so hideously  mutated that  he

actively took pleasure in their destruction.

Then, as  Pride continued  on to  seize the  Imperial factory  farm  at

Pirol-5, the viceroy retired to his  quarters to receive the attentions  of

his darna and the reports from the other elements of the fleet.

The news was uniformly good. There had been an unfortunate accident  at

Polneye that had left a  pilot dead and the  weapons master a suicide,  but

that was of no consequence. Everywhere  the ships of the Yevetha  appeared,

the vermin were swept off the faces of the worlds they had soiled.

Calmly, ruthless, efficiently, the Black Fleet drew a curtain of  death

across the Cluster. One after  another the vermin settlements fell  beneath

it-the Kubaz, the Brigia, the Polneye, the Morath, the Corasgh, the  H'kig.

The targets included colonies  and species whose  names and histories  were

unknown to those who plotted their eradication.

Full sterilizations were carried out on the two worlds to be  reclaimed

for the  Yevetha.  The  colonists  meant for  those  planets  were  already

outbound from The  Twelve in the  new thrustships, which  were faster  than

light itself. Others would soon follow.

It was the realization of a great  destiny. At the end of one long  day

of glory, the All again belonged to the Yevetha alone.

When the last report  was in hand, Nil  Spaar called his broodmates  to

join him and his darna in celebration.

Afterward, the viceroy slept long, deep, and well.

Leia Organa Solo  waited hopefully,  eagerly, behind the  gate for  the

Fleet shuttle to land at Eastport 18. The moment the shuttle's engines were

cut, she brushed past  the gate supervisor's earnest  cautions and ran  out

onto the landing pad.  When the hatch hissed  open and the boarding  stairs

unfolded, she was already waiting at the bottom.

Han was the first to appear on the top step, wearing his lopsided  grin

and carrying his flight bag over  one shoulder. Taking the stairs in  three

long strides, he tossed the flight bag  down and gathered Leia up in a  hug

so deep and warm that it almost began to drive away the icy chill that  had

invaded her spirit since the collapse of the Yevethan negotiations and  her

humiliation by Peramis and Nil Spaar. She hid her tears against his chest.

"It's gonna be  all right, "  Han murmured into  her hair. "You  should

hear about some of the bad days I've had. "

Leia laughed despite herself and hugged him fiercely. "Let's go home. "

"Can't think of one good  reason not to, "  Han said, bending to  pluck

his flight bag  from the ground.  "Don't make too  much of it,  hon, but  I

kinda missed you. "

Twenty-three hours out from Polneye, Plat Mallar turned on the  cockpit

recorder of the TIE interceptor.

His face was pale and slick with perspiration. His voice was weak,  and

his eyes wandered as he tried to force his blurred vision to clear.

Designed without hyperdrive,  the interceptor had  never been  intended

for the kind of journey Mallar had attempted-across realspace from one star

to another.

He had fled  Polneye, eluded  the Yevetha, and  left Koornacht  Cluster

behind, but he  could not escape  the cold equations  of time, energy,  and

distance.

Mallar had run the fighter  wide open for as  long as the solar  panels

and  the  capacitors  had  allowed,  accelerating  the  little  ship  to  a

straightline speed well above  that any pilot could  use in combat. He  had

even persuaded  the autopilot,  designed  for simple  in-system  navigation

problems, to accept Galantos as a destination.

But the  engines  had been  cold  for  hours now,  and  only  emptiness

surrounded his hurtling craft. The nose of the fighter was pointed directly

at Galantos, but it  would not reach  that system for-he  calculated-nearly

three years. And Mallar did not expect to live another three hours.

The ship's  small oxygen  reserve was  gone. His  re-breather could  no

longer cleanse  the  breaths he  drew  well  enough to  end  the  agonizing

headaches. The recirculators were  keeping the air dry,  but he was  slowly

suffocating on his own waste gases.

Memory had deceived him. The images from his childhood, of Polneye as a

bustling port, as the hub of the region's spacelanes, were too strong to be

shaken by facts. Those images offered what had proved a false  promise-that

he would find another ship to offer help or transport.

Dirtbound his whole  life, he found  it was beyond  him to imagine  how

empty space was,  or to  believe how deserted  that region  had become.  In

twenty-three hours, not a  single vessel of any  size had been detected  by

the interceptor's targeting system. He knew he was going to die, and he was

going to die alone.

He cleared his throat,  an uglier sound than  his rasping breaths.  "My

name is Plat Mallar, " he said. "I was born in the city of Three North,  on

the planet Polneye. My  mother was Fall Topas.  She was a plant  biologist,

and quite beautiful.  My father was  Plat Hovath, a  droid mechanic. I  was

their only son. We lived in Ten South, on blue level, near the algae pool.

"Yesterday was the fortieth day  of Molar. Yesterday warships  attacked

Polneye without any warning-without any cause. Unidentified ships. Imperial

designs. They destroyed  most of Polneye-killed  my parents-killed most  of

us. I  think the  survivors are  hostages now-there  was a  transport-"  He

paused, heart pounding, to  try to catch his  breath. His voice had  become

frail and wheezy.

When he could continue, Mallar said,  "The combat recorders of my  ship

contain evidence  of  this  attack-of  the destruction  of  my  home.  They

murdered my people, thousands and thousands and thousands. Please help  us.

Please-if any are still alive-try to save them. Whoever sees this-you  must

find these monsters  and punish them.  It's wrong. It's  terribly wrong.  I

beg-I beg for justice for the dead. For my parents. For my friends. For me.

"

Mallar sagged back into his seat, exhausted by the effort of speaking.

But the recorder kept  running-he could not manage  to raise an arm  to

stop it. It kept on, faithfully capturing Mallar's image, for as long as he

moved or made a sound at turns.

But it stopped when at last he slipped into unconsciousness.

He was still unconscious, barely clinging to life, when the crew of the

Fifth Fleet prowler SP8 stumbled on his hurtling ship.

Chapter 15

The first early-morning  rays from Coruscant's  sun were throwing  long

shadows down the  east-west streets  of Imperial City  when Admiral  Ackbar

reached the family entrance to the presidential residence.

"Good morning, " said the security droid. "This entrance is closed. The

family is not  receiving visitors at  this time. Please  come back  another

time, or call the scheduling center for further information. "

Ackbar cocked his head and blinked in surprise. "I am Admiral Ackbar. "

"Good morning, Admiral  Ackbar. This  entrance is  closed. Please  move

back to the sidewalk. "

"It's all right, " Ackbar said. "I  have a key. " He squeezed his  eyes

shut while he  concentrated. "Aleph-lamed-zayin-shin. Yes,  I think  that's

it. "

"Good morning, Admiral Ackbar, " the droid said. "You may enter. "

The grounds were  quiet, except for  the tiny cowlpups  grazing on  the

lawns. When  Ackbar passed  too close  to one,  it growled  at him  with  a

ferociousness all out of proportion to its size.

"Go back to your  breakfast, " Ackbar said,  amused. "I'm not here  for

you. "

None of the early  rays reached the well-shaded  main house, and  there

were no lights on inside, except in  the kitchen, where a butler droid  was

completing its nightly maintenance. There  was no sound from the  direction

of the children's rooms, which was a  relief-he was not ready to deal  with

their eager  energy. Ackbar  supposed that,  with Han's  return, the  whole

family had been up late.

Sleep in as long  as you like, children,  he thought with a  melancholy

tenderness. Sleep in while you can.

Ackbar followed  memory  and the  floorboard  glow strips  through  the

darkened halls to  Leia and  Han's bedroom.  Out of  consideration for  the

children, the door was  closed but not secured.  He hoped his friends  were

not busy mating.

"Open, " Ackbar told the housecomm. "Lights. "

When the bedroom was suddenly flooded with light, Han reflexively  spun

over on his back and sat bolt  upright. Squinting, he sighed away the  rush

of adrenaline when he recognized Ackbar. "You, " Han said gruffly. "It's  a

lucky thing for you I don't sleep with a blaster anymore. "

"Not luck, " the Calamari  said. "You told me,  after the time you  and

Jaina scared each other half to death. "

Han's sudden movements had shaken the bed enough to bring Leia up  from

her deeper sleep. Now she rose on her elbows.

"Admiral Ackbar, " she said, a quizzical expression on her face.  "When

I invited you  to come talk  me out of  resigning, I thought  you might  at

least wait until I was awake. "

"Good morning, Princess. "

"Don't try to  disarm me with  politeness, " Leia  said. "What are  you

doing here at this hour? "

"Getting you out of  bed, " Ackbar said.  "I'll wait outside while  you

get dressed. "

"Oh, you will? Then what? "

"Then there's somewhere we have to go. I have a speeder waiting. "

"Slow down a  second. I'm  not on  call, "  said Leia.  "Not for  state

business. Especially  not at  this  hour-what time  is  it, anyway?  "  She

glanced sideways at the bedroom chrono. "Oh, heaven-I'm sorry I looked. "

"I understand how you feel, " said Ackbar. "I would rather have  stayed

in the water myself. Still, there's somewhere we have to go. "

"Why don't you tell me a little more and let me make that decision? "

"I'm afraid I can't do that, " said Ackbar, holding out her robe. "Your

head isn't clear yet. You'll have to trust me-if you do trust me. "

Leia frowned as she studied him. Finally  she sat up and took the  robe

from his hand.

"Thank you, Princess. " His gaze moved to Han.

"General Solo, I think you should come, too. "

"What is this, divide and conquer? "

"Please. This involves you as well. "

"Let me find my pants, " Han said resignedly.

"Leia, tell me again why we gave the fishhead a key to the front door-"

Leia peered through the  viewpane of the  Fleet infirmary's Intensive  Care

Unit Number 5  at the pale-faced  young man who  had just been  transferred

from a  medical cocoon  to the  bacta tank.  A Fleet  doctor and  two  MD-7

medical droids hovered over the biomonitors.

"Who is he? "

"He is Grannan  by stock, Polneye  by allegiance, "  Ackbar said.  "His

name is Plat Mallar. He's suffering from severe metabolic disruption due to

breathing his own wastes.  He may not  live. I thought  you should see  him

now, just in case. "

"Why? " asked Leia. "I'm  sorry for him, of  course, but... " She  left

the sentence unfinished.

"Polneye? I never heard of it, " Han said. "What happened to him? "

"According to the  prowler that  found him, he  was trying  to make  an

interstellar run in a TIE interceptor-"

"Why would anyone do a fool thing like that? " Han asked  dismissively.

"It's suicide. "

"Or self-sacrifice, "  said Ackbar.  "Sometimes they are  hard to  tell

apart. "

"What are you talking about? "

"It appears  that  Plat Mallar  was  trying to  get  a message  out  of

Koornacht Cluster-apparently the only way he could. "

Leia's eyes flashed. "What message? "

"I will show you, " Ackbar said. "But let us stay here awhile longer. I

do not  know why  it  is, but  the Fleet  casualty  officer tells  me  that

patients with family and  friends to wish them  health are strengthened  by

it. And I am afraid this young pilot needs every edge right now. "

In the privacy of  Admiral Ackbar's offices  at Fleet Headquarters,  in

grim silence,  Han and  Leia watched  the holo-recordings  taken from  Plat

Mallar's TIE interceptor.

It was unsettling to  see the familiar,  forbidding shapes of  warships

once again  at the  business  of dealing  out destruction,  and  profoundly

dismaying to see the cities of  Polneye reduced to smoking scorch marks  on

the planer's barren plains. But Mallar's deathly ill face gave the greatest

power to his words.

"-Please help  us. Please-if  any  are still  alive-try to  save  them.

Whoever sees this-you must find these monsters and punish them. It's wrong.

It's terribly wrong. I beg-I beg for justice for the dead. For my  parents.

For my friends. For me. "

When it  was over,  Leia pushed  back from  the table  without a  word,

turning her back on Han and the admiral. Hugging herself, she stood  before

the galactic holomap that covered nearly one whole wall of Ackbar's office,

staring up into it with haunted eyes.

"Did you  orchestrate all  this to  humiliate me,  Ackbar? "  she  said

finally, still facing the map.

"No, Leia, " Ackbar protested, surprised. "I do not understand. "

"That makes two of us, " Han said, standing.

"What are you talking about, hon? This doesn't have anything to do with

you. "

She whirled around  to face them.  "Doesn't it? Look  at him-he's  just

sitting there waiting for  me to draw  the same conclusion  he has. If  you

wanted to convince  me to  resign, Admiral,  you couldn't  have picked  any

better way. "

"I'm missing something here, " Han said, looking to Ackbar for help.

"Princess, you are wrong, " said Ackbar. "You could not be more  wrong.

You are the Chief  of State of  the New Republic. I  would not have  anyone

else sit in that chair. We  need your strength and dedication-and more  now

than we did yesterday, to answer this challenge. "

Ackbar's  praise  deflected  off  Leia's  defensiveness,  leaving   her

untouched. "Whose ships were those? " she asked, pointing at the monitor.

"You know as well as I."

"Imperial design. Imperial fighters. What does that prove? "

"Plat Mallar got close enough to the first ship to interrogate it  with

his targeting system. It answered as the Imperial Star DestroyerValorous. "

"Are you arguing with me? "

"Valorouswas one of the Black Sword ships on Nylykerka's list. "

"I know that,  " she said.  "And if  it was at  Polneye under  Yevethan

command, then you're looking at the biggest fool in the whole Republic. But

we don't know that, do we? "

"Does it matter? "

"Isn't that why you brought me in here? Your subtle way of telling me I

was wrong? "

Ackbar shook his  head slowly.  "I thought  that before  you made  your

decision about giving up your work,  you needed to know that there's  still

more for us to do. Whoever sent those ships to Polneye is the enemy of  the

peace you've tried so hard to build. "

"Isn't there something  in the  apocrypha about  wisdom beginning  with

knowing your limitations? Peace was a goal, not a guarantee. Besides-I  was

naive. Which would make a  fine summation of my  short career, " she  added

acerbically.

"Admiral Ackbar's right, " Han said, shaking his head. "All this  other

stuff who burned the  toast, who borrowed whose  shirt, who left the  light

on-none of that matters. What matters is, what are we going to do now? "

"What can I do?  " Leia asked plaintively.  "Nothing. Polneye wasn't  a

member of the New Republic. They weren't even applicants. "

"You're talking about obligations, "  said Han. "I'm talking about  the

right thing to do. "

"But that's the trick, isn't it? You can't get three people to agree on

the right thing to do, " Leia  said. "Peace is impossible. No matter  what,

it seems like there's  always someone who wants  to kill someone else.  You

can't give them enough reasons not to. At least, I can't. "

"Leia-"

"I'm sorry about the  Polneye, I truly  am. But it's  too late to  help

them. Besides, if I were to send forces anywhere near Koornacht, I wouldn't

have to resign-the Senate would hang me first and impeach me later. "

Leia shook her head.  "I hope Mallar lives-though  I'm not sure  that's

not being cruel, if  it turns out  he's the only  survivor. Who else  knows

about him? Who else has seen the recording? "

"A very short list, " Ackbar said.

"See that it stays  that way, "  she said, and  moved toward the  door.

"I'm going home, Han. Are you coming? "

Han was looking at  her as though  she were a  stranger. "I think  I'll

stay awhile, " he said.

Leia shrugged. "Suit yourself. "

As soon as the door closed behind her, Han cocked his head to one  side

and shot Ackbar a  quizzical look. "I have  just one question-who was  that

person, and what have you done with Leia? "

"She is hurting, "  said Ackbar. "She is  questioning herself, and  her

ideals. "

"Tell me  something  I don't  know,  " Han  said.  "What in  the  world

happened while I was away? "

"I will tell you what  I can, " said Ackbar.  "But I am afraid some  of

the answers will have to come from her. "

A stranger was sitting  cross-legged in the  street outside the  family

entrance, facing  the house,  when  Leia reached  it  in a  borrowed  Fleet

skimmer. He was dressed in a long robe the color of saffron, which  spilled

out around him  in a  circle on the  pavement. She  recognized neither  his

profile nor his species, and slowed only so that she could hop the fence at

a speed that wouldn't alarm the house defenses.

But after  she  had disembarked  and  sent the  speeder  heading  back,

curiosity got the better of her.

She walked  out to  the fence  and, with  the security  droid  hovering

protectively nearby, called out to him.

"You-who are you? "

"Jobath, the councillor of  the Fia, of Galantos,  " he said, and  then

his face brightened. "But  I know you. You  are Princess Leia, the  warrior

queen who rallied the oppressed to  rise up against the Emperor. You  saved

my people from slavery. "

"Well-you're welcome. But that was a long time ago, " she said. "And  I

don't know whose  version of history  you've been listening  to, anyway.  I

don't remember ever being a queen or a warrior. "

"Oh, yes, I know all the stories. You are a great woman. It is an honor

to meet you. "

"What are you doing out there? "

"I am waiting for you, " the  Fian said. "Your metal servant said  that

you were not receiving visitors, but my  need is urgent. And now I see  you

have re  turned.  May I  rise  and  approach without  alarming  your  loyal

protector? "

"What? Oh, the droid. No, he  doesn't like people loitering around  the

entrances. What was your name again? "

"Jobath, of the Fia. "

"Did we have an appointment, Jobath of the Fia? "

"No, Princess. "

"All right.  I was  afraid for  a  moment I'd  forgotten, "  she  said.

"Here's the way it is,  Jobath of the Fia-I intend  to go inside and  sleep

for about three days. If I'm still president when I get up, you can make an

appointment with  the scheduling  center,  in the  protocol office.  "  She

turned away from the fence and started toward the house.

"Princess! Please,  wait!  I've  come about  what's  happening  in  The

Multitude. You must talk to me now! "

"Must I? " said Leia, looking back. "The Multitude-what's that? "

"The Great  Multitude of  the  Circle of  the  Heavens, "  Jobath  said

earnestly. "There is another name, an ugly name-"

"Are you talking about Koornacht? "

"Yes! " Jobath said brightly. "Koornacht. "

Leia scowled. "This  is too  much. You tell  Ackbar that  I'm tired  of

being manipulated. "

"Admiral Ackbar? "

"Right. Tell him he can have this  job anytime he wants it. All he  has

to do is say the word. "

"Oh, yes, Ackbar, I know this name,  too. He, too, was a great  warrior

in the Rebellion. But  you are mistaken.  I have not had  the honor of  the

counsel of the Ackbar, " said Jobath.

"No? "

"I have come  here directly from  your Eastport, and  before that  from

Galantos, to speak with you in a  matter of great urgency. A terrible  evil

prowls The Multitude.  Many have  died already.  My people  fear for  their

future. "

As he was speaking, Leia was slowly drawn back to the fence. She curled

her fingers around the wrought work and closed them into fists.

"How do you know what's happened? "

"There was a  warning sent  to us  from a ship  which came  out of  The

Multitude, " said Jobath. "A freighter bound for Woqua intercepted the beam

of this signal,  or we would  not have heard  the warning for  a very  long

time-if ever. We sent our own vessel out to find this ship. It, too,  found

the signal, but the ship itself has vanished. "

Leia realized that Plat Mallar, facing unconsciousness, must have  used

the interceptor's  combat  comm  to  transmit  his  recordings  toward  his

destination. Doing so would make him, and even his ship, expendable,  since

no force in the galaxy could gather up or destroy his comm signal.

"We have the ship, " she said, resting her forehead against the  fence.

"And the pilot. "

"I am glad to know this. I would like to offer him refuge on  Galantos,

and, if he wishes it, citizenship in the Fia. "

"That will have to  wait, I'm afraid,  " said Leia.  "What do you  want

from me? "

"I've come to  ask the  protection of the  New Republic  and the  great

Princess Leia for  my planet  and my people,  " said  Jobath, clasping  the

fence with long fingered  hands just below  where Leia clung  to it. "I  be

seech you to accept a petition for membership, and fortify us against these

murderers. "

Leia pulled her hands back as though fearing contact with Jobath.

"I'll consider your petition, " she said uncomfortably, and started  to

back away.

"Please hurry, " said Jobath. "There  is little time. If they who  fell

on Polneye choose to leave  The Multitude, we could  be the next to  suffer

their predation. Our  entire navy has  only two patrol  corvettes, and  the

cutter which brought me here. Half a million lives are at risk on  Galantos

alone. "

**** (diplomatic) hostel. They'll provide you with quarters. I'll  send

word to you there. "

Then she turned and fled  into the house. But  the walls did not  offer

the same sanctuary  they had  recently promised,  and sleep  was no  longer

possible.

Within an  hour of  Jobath's arrival  at the  diplomatic hostel,  three

other worlds with legations  quartered there submitted emergency  petitions

for membership.  Two  of  the  three  were  located  in  sectors  far  from

Koornacht, the  third  in  Hatawa,  but still  many  light-years  from  the

trouble.

All three, along with the Fia, received only silence in reply.

For the moment  there was silence,  too, on the  newsgrids. So far  the

Polneye tragedy had escaped their attention. Coruscant Global Newsgrid  was

still dissecting the fallout from  the explosive Senate session earlier  in

the week.

But in  its midday  refresh, Global  added a  new item  to the  feature

queue-a speculative  report  that Princess  Leia  had already  resigned  as

president. According to the rumor (treated as fact), an announcement  would

be made as  soon as the  top military leaders  and the Senate  agreed on  a

replacement.

Sitting in his Fleet office, Admiral Ackbar viewed that news with mixed

contempt and bemusement. Even if Leia had resigned, the idea that the Fleet

would have any part in selecting a new Chief of State was absurd.

The idea that any  such negotiations would take  place without him  was

equally absurd.

But Ackbar pondered long and hard whether he should pick up his comlink

and start a rumor of his own. "We ought to get out in front this time, " he

said aloud to himself. "Put Plat Mallar's face and story on the grids. Show

everyone what happened  on Polneye,  and bring  them over  to Leia's  side.

That's what I would do. If she  could just bring herself to admit that  the

viceroy never was  a friend-" He  shook his  head. It wasn't  time yet.  He

would watch the news from Farlax, where the Fifth Fleet's prowlers were now

all on station  outside Koornacht Cluster,  sweeping hyperspace with  their

sensitive ripple filters, and the  news from the Senate and  administrative

complex, where every analyst and commentator in Imperial City was on  duty,

sifting the corridor gossip with their hypersensitive news antennae. And he

would wait to see which situation changed first.

Absurd or not, the Global report on Leia's resignation ran through  the

diplomatic hostel like a virulent  infection. It puzzled many, and  worried

Jobath, who began to fear he had brought his appeal to the wrong ears. That

fear carried him, in  the company of  the seneschal of  the Marais, to  the

office of Chairman Behn-kihl-nahm.

Half an hour later they left the office reassured that Leia still  held

executive power for the  New Republic and that  their petitions were  being

acted  on  with  all  possible   dispatch.  The  moment  they  were   gone,

Behn-kihl-nahm tried one more  time to reach Princess  Leia. But he had  no

more success than with any of his many previous attempts that morning.

Behn-kihl-nahm was  fast  losing  patience  with  her-Leia  had  closed

everyone out at exactly the worst time, when they should be planning  their

strategy and  response  together.  He  disliked  having  to  make  tactical

decisions unilaterally.

Would Leia approve of his tying the withdrawals of the Walalla and  the

others up in procedural knots, as he had successfully done that morning? Or

would she have preferred he simply let them go? Should he offer Peramis and

Hodidiji the appointment to negotiate the return of the bodies? He  thought

it might give  both a  way to  justify a change  of heart,  but would  they

conduct themselves with dignity, or simply become an embarrassment?

Even more than making  decisions, Behn-kihl-nahm disliked being  caught

out  uninformed.  The  business  with   the  Polneye,  the  pilot  in   the

hospital-why should  he have  had to  hear  about' that  from a  couple  of

ambassadors-without-portfolio? How had one of  them been able to meet  with

Leia while his calls were still going begging? Was she going to resign?  If

not, what was she going to do about the petitions for protection?

When  his  usual  sources  were   unable  to  satisfy  his   curiosity,

Behn-kihl-nahm called  Hiram  Drayson.  The  machinery  of  governance  was

frozen, paralyzed in the face of crises  that would only grow worse if  not

attended to. Did Drayson know what had gotten stuck in its gears?

"I couldn't say, Chairman, " Drayson said.

"You can't say, or you don't know? "

"Chairman, my suggestion to  you would be to  put up the best  pretense

you can that everything's under control. And that includes letting  whoever

wants to huff  and puff  in the  well of the  Senate do  so to  his or  her

heart's content. "

"Admiral, " said Behn-kihl-nahm gravely,  "that advice worries me  more

than any other development of the last week. "

"Admiral Ackbar. "

The man in the doorway wore casual civilian clothing, but he still  had

the posture of a soldier in uniform.

"Mr. Drayson. Come in. "

"I'm not here to visit this time. Can you get me in to see Leia? "

"I'm afraid  I cannot,  " said  Ackbar. "My  key was  deactivated  this

morning. "

"I have  to talk  to  her, "  Drayson said  simply.  "Do you  have  any

suggestions? "

Ackbar grunted. "I'm a little surprised to learn that the Old Ghost  of

Coruscant has no secret passages or secret passwords available to him. "

"Getting in isn't the problem, " said Drayson. "Getting listened to is.

I'm afraid that none of the means at my disposal would be likely to earn me

a reasoned hearing. "

"There are many people  who want to  talk to her,  " said Ackbar.  "She

does not seem to want to talk to US. "

"I'm afraid I can't permit her the luxury of refusing, " said Drayson.

"She is tired of being pushed and poked at, " said Ackbar. "If we  give

her some time--"

Drayson shook  his  head  so  slightly  it  was  almost  imperceptible.

"There's no more time, " he said.

Blinking slowly,  Ackbar  sat back  in  his  chair. "Do  you  know  her

husband? "

"Not professionally, " Drayson  said. "But his loyalty  to her is  well

known. "

Ackbar nodded thoughtfully. "He was here with me for three hours today,

" he  said. "He  was the  one  who ordered  the prowlers  to  Koornacht-not

General A'baht. "

"Interesting. "

"There is more.  He brought the  Fifth Fleet back,  as she  ordered-but

only as  far as  the  outer marshaling  point, and  he  kept it  at  combat

readiness, with full  crews aboard. He  understands the stakes.  He may  be

more sympathetic than you expect. But  I cannot promise that she will  even

listen to him. "

"Thank you, Admiral, " said  Drayson. "That's useful. If you'll  excuse

me-"

"Admiral-"

"Yes? "

"I was wondering-could the  viceroy have done this  to Leia? All  those

hours he spent alone with he r-we know so little about the Yevetha, "  said

Ackbar. "Is  it  possible that  something  happened  in that  room?  Is  it

possible that he has done something to her mind? "

"No, " said Drayson. "No, I can tell you that nothing happened in  that

room. "

The answer did not seem to please Ackbar.

"Thank you, " he said all the same.

The sounds  of  splashing and  gleeful  childish laughter  covered  any

sounds of footsteps on the walk.

But  Leia,  with  her  wariness  magnified  by  powerful  feelings   of

isolation, was  aware of  Admiral  Drayson's approach  before he  had  even

emerged from the trees.

Jaina, in turn, quickly  sensed her mother's  dark mood. "Mommy,  who's

that? Do you want me to make him go away? "

"No-no, " Leia said with a quick smile, and tousled her daughter's wet,

stringy hair. "Jacen,  Jaina, take Anakin  inside. I want  you all dry  and

dressed when I come in. "

For once the children obeyed without argument.

Leia thought it a telling  sign that the stress  and chaos of the  last

weeks, of the last few days, was affecting them as well.

Drayson stopped a polite distance away, hands laced together behind his

back. "Princess. "

"You know, if  security is supposed  to keep unwanted  people out,  the

security around  the  president's  residence  leaves a  great  deal  to  be

desired. "

"Your husband admitted me, Princess Leia. "

"Did he, "  she said.  "Well, my  husband leaves  a bit  to be  desired

himself lately. What do you want? "

"Five minutes, " said  Drayson. He brought his  right hand forward  and

showed her the datacard he had cradled  in the palm. "I think this will  be

useful to you in regard to the decision you're facing. "

"Which one is that? "

"The only one that matters. "

"Five minutes? "

"And then I'll be gone. "

"All right, " she said with a sigh. "Five minutes. "

The datacard contained  a brief  recording, timestamped  less than  two

hours  earlier.  The  recording  showed  a  pair  of  Yevethan  thrustships

unloading on  a hilly,  brush-covered  landscape. The  kind and  volume  of

material being unloaded and the shape  and size of the clearing being  made

for it dictated  one conclusion-it was  the first phase  of a  colonization

landing.

"Where is this? "

"The astrographic office knows it as Doornik-319, " Drayson said. "It's

part of a system  inside the Koornacht Cluster.  The Kubaz who lived  there

till yesterday called it Morning's Bell. "

"What happened yesterday? "

"The same  thing that  happened to  Polneye, "  said Drayson.  "And  it

doesn't stop there. The evidence I've seen suggests that every non-Yevethan

settlement in Koornacht received the same sort of treatment. "

"What evidence? Where did you get this recording? "

"I'd rather you not ask me that, Princess. "

"I am asking you. "

Drayson nodded. "Princess, is it absolutely necessary that you know the

source for you to credit the evidence? If so, then I'll answer. But if  you

don't need that  knowledge to accept  what that recording  means, then  I'd

rather not risk those assets any more than I already have by revealing what

they've discovered. The information is what matters. "

Leia stared at him.

"I think my five minutes are up,  " he said, with a little bow.  "Thank

you for seeing me. "

"Stop! " she said sharply. "Who are you, really? "

Drayson turned  and looked  back at  her. "I  do what  I do  under  the

authority of an executive  order issued by Mon  Mothma, " he said.  "You'll

find it in your personal library files as D9020616. "

"Mon Mothma! She never said a word about this-"

"She found the machinery of the  New Republic unwieldy when it came  to

certain aspects of  statecraft--getting information into  the right  hands,

projecting policy  into  ambiguous  situations.  I  try  to  address  those

shortcomings. "

"Who do you answer to? "

**** one at our level does, " Drayson said. "I answer to my  conscience

and my sense of duty. And yes, if  either ever fails us, we can do a  great

deal of harm-and probably hide  most of it, too.  But that's all there  is,

isn't it? Conscience or obedience. Leader or follower. Whose orders do  you

obey? " He pointed  at the datacard.  "Who will tell you  what to do  about

that? You  see? Conscience  and  duty. "  He  bowed again.  "Good  evening,

Princess. "

She let him go.

Turning back to her datapad, Leia  watched the recording a second  time

and then a third. The images were sharp and unambiguous. The design of  the

ships was distinctive and incriminating. Yevethan colonists were setting up

housekeeping on a world which one day earlier had belonged to the Kubaz.

Leia dug her  comlink out of  the drawer  where she had  thrown it  the

night before and selected  a familiar channel. "Han,  " she said. "You  can

stop hiding from me now. Where are you? Please-come talk to me. "

"Murderers,  "  Han   muttered  as  he   watched  the  recording   from

Doornik-319. He shook his head disbelievingly. "I've been around enough  to

see some cold moves pulled,  but killing a family  one day and moving  into

their house  the  next  is right  up  there  with anything  our  old  buddy

Palpatine ever thought up. "

Leia nodded. "I'm beginning  to wonder if  the greatest indignity  that

the Empire  subjected  the Yevetha  to  wasn't  holding them  to  a  higher

standard of behavior, " she said.

"Now, that's a picture, isn't  it? The Emperor's stormtroopers  setting

the example for good manners, " Han said. "Like arming protocol droids with

blasters. "

He tried to win a  smile from her, but she  had looked away to gaze  at

the map of Koornacht  Cluster displayed on the  main screen, and he  turned

his attention there as well. "Look  at what they've done-it makes no  sense

at all, " he said.  "It's not like any  of these settlements were  crowding

the League worlds. Or that real estate is getting scarce in there. "

"I'm afraid it makes perfect sense,  " said Leia, propping her chin  on

folded hands. "So much of what he said sounds different to me now-almost as

though he lied to me with the truth. 'What we want more than anything is to

be left alone. ' I  remember that clearly, from the  first time we met.  He

mentioned how strange it was to see  so many different species. He told  me

the Yevetha didn't need our protection. "

"No, " said Han. "It was the Kubaz who needed protection. "

"He as much  as told me  that, too, "  said Leia. "He  said it was  his

mission to protect his  people-and he did. He  kept them inside that  ship,

safely away from us. He controlled his own exposure to us-as though he were

afraid of contamination. That's why those settlements were destroyed,  Han.

This wasn't a boundary war, or a matter of competing territorial claims. It

was an act of revulsion. "

Han looked dubious. "Maybe so. But there's something else, too. Look at

the results.  Doornike319  sits nearly  on  a line  between  Coruscant  and

N'zoth, just where you'd want a forward base. These other targets-it's like

they burned a firebreak between themselves and all of us. "

She reached out and touched the point of light that was Doornik-319.

"Or dug a moat. Complete with gate and drawbridge, maybe. "

"Yeah, " said Han. "So what are you going to do? "

Withdrawing her finger, Leia shook her head slowly. "It seems as though

it's already all over.  All I can  see to do  now is try  to make sure  Nil

Spaar stays on his side of  the moat. Protect the settlements that  haven't

been torched-Galatos, Wehttam,  The Marais. "  She looked up  at Han.  "I'm

going to have to send the Fifth Fleet back to Farlax. "

"I thought  that  might  happen, "  Han  said.  "I left  the  Fleet  at

readiness high-no shore leaves, no  major maintenance. They should be  able

to sail on a half hour's notice.

She touched his hand. "I'm sorry. I know you don't want this. "

"Hold on just a  moment, " Han  said, pulling back  from her. "I'm  not

going anywhere. "

"I can't change  commanders on  them again, not  twice in  a week,  not

under these circumstances. You've been out  there with them for two  months

now. That gives some continuity, at least. "

"Right idea, wrong man, " said Han. "If it were me, the first thing I'd

do is hand the Fifth back to General A'baht. "

"How can I do that? He was disloyal to me. "

"Was he? He disobeyed your orders, but is that the same thing as  being

disloyal? Did he do what he did for personal gain? Did he do it to  enhance

his career, or aid the enemy? No. He was trying to protect all those people

out there with him, and  all the people back  here, too. And hell,  Leia-he

was right. He ought to get some points for that. "

"You said it yourself, " she said stiffly. "He disobeyed my orders. "

"He disobeyed an order you never should have given, " Han said. "And if

that's your  reason, you're  going  to have  to  disqualify me,  too.  That

prowler that  picked up  Plat Mallar-what  do you  think it  was doing  out

there? "

She realized she had never asked herself that question.

"I guess I assumed it was Admiral Drayson's handiwork. "

"You weren't paying close enough attention, " Han said. "That's a Fifth

Fleet prowler. I sent it there. "

"You? " Leia said and her  eyes flashed anger. "I don't understand.  Is

it because I'm  a woman?  Is that  why lately  everyone seems  to treat  my

orders like suggestions? "

"Aw-blast, no, Leia. I keep telling you the uniform doesn't fit me very

well, " he said. "I'm  just as bad at following  orders from men. I  always

have been-you know  that. Look, I  was there. You  weren't. I did  it on  a

hunch. "

"How do you explain General A'baht? "

"Why don't you  ask him? "  Han parried. "But  remember this-before  he

came to Coruscant, General A'baht was the senior military commander of  the

Dornea. He was accustomed to a greater degree of autonomy than we grant our

Fleet commanders. He answered to his  own conscience. I happen to think  he

was tremendously  loyal  to  you-not  least in  the  way  he  accepted  his

demotion. You could do a lot worse than to ask him to come back. "

"How can I? I humiliated him in front of his crew, his command. "

"If you think  what you  did changed how  they felt  about him,  you've

forgotten the rules of the game, " Han said. "What you did changed how they

felt about you. Give  them back their commander.  They won't have  anything

worse to say about you than they're already saying. You might even win back

a couple of points. "

"What should I say? "

"You don't have to say anything, not to them. Send the Fifth Fleet back

to Farlax under General  A'baht's command, and they'll  get the message,  "

Han said. "Leia, only weak leaders never admit to mistakes. Strong  leaders

don't need to  pretend to be  infallible. Just fix  this. There are  bigger

problems to chew on. "

She glanced up at the map of  Koornacht, then studied the backs of  her

hands. "I have Bail Organa's stubborn pride, " she said quietly. "It's hard

for me to admit when someone else was more right than I was. "

"If you weren't headstrong, you wouldn't be my Leia, " Han said with  a

crooked, affectionate grin. "You're staying on, then? No resignation. "

"I can't leave this mess for someone  else, " Leia said. "I'm going  to

have to take the responsibility for  it. Nil Spaar wouldn't have done  this

if he hadn't been sure that we would let him. That I would let him. "

"You're not responsible for his miscalculation. "

"What do you mean? "

"We're not going to let him. "

"Oh, " Leia said. "Do you know where General A'baht is? "

"He came back with  me in the  skiff. He's probably  over in the  Fleet

dormitories, expecting to be court-martialed. The Fleet Office will know. "

"I'd better go see him, " she said, gathering her feet under her. "I'll

call on the way over. "

"You're doing the right thing, " Han said. "I'll hang out with the kids

till you get back. "

"Thanks. " She kissed  him quickly and started  to leave, then  stopped

and turned back. "Han-"

"What? "

"How could I have been so wrong  about Nil Spaar? How could I have  sat

there for so long, being lied to  with smiles, and never have known? I'm  a

Jedi. I'm supposed to be more perceptive than that. "

"You don't lean on that talent very  hard, " he said. "From what I  can

see, you don't really want to. "

"I guess there's some  truth in that, "  she admitted. "Still, I  can't

stop thinking I should have known what he was. "

"I think maybe you saw what you wanted to see, " Han said gently.  "You

still believe in the basic goodness and rationality of the people you meet.

Not everyone has that handicap. "

Though he likely could have had for  the asking one of the suites  held

for senior officers and guests, General A'baht was billeted in a double  in

one of the enlisted dormitories. And  though he had more than enough  right

to have it closed,  the door to  his room was  standing open, respecting  a

tradition that  redrew the  boundaries of  privacy from  the first  day  of

training.

A'baht himself was prone on the floor, turned half away from the  door,

going through a strenuous series of body lifts without so much as a grunt.

"General, " Leia said. "May I come in? "

The Dornean  officer came  to his  feet smoothly  and saluted  smartly.

"Princess, " he said. "I am-surprised-to see you. "

Leia closed the door behind her. "I  think we need to talk. I  received

your apology, and offer to resign, on the way over here-"

"Princess, I hope you understand that I am not bargaining to escape the

consequences of  my actions,  "  A'baht said.  "I'm  willing to  stand  for

court-martial, or resign,  or accept  demotion to whatever  grade you  deem

fit-whatever you think would be best for  the Fleet and the Republic. I  do

not want to  be the  cause of  any further  embarrassment for  you, or  the

Fleet, or Chandrila. "

Leia pulled a straight-backed chair out  from under the small desk  and

sat down. "You  know, General,  I've been  thinking a  lot about  resigning

myself. I've made several-mistakes-lately that I've had trouble accepting.

"A little while ago, after talking  things over with my best friend  in

the world, I decided that the hardest thing  for me to do would be to  stay

where I am-and so  that was what I  was going to do.  And it's going to  be

hard enough that I think I'd better have your help. Your offer to resign is

rejected. "

"I understand,  Princess. If  I may-has  a date  been selected  for  my

trial? "

"Trial? "  She  shook her  head.  "You don't  have  time for  a  trial,

General. You and I both still have work to do. "

"Sir? "

She sighed. "General-I was wrong. I can't put it any more plainly. Will

you accept my apology, and return to theIntrepid as commander of the  Fifth

Fleet? "

Surprise sat uncomfortably on the Dornean's features.

"Princess, can I possibly have your confidence after what's happened? "

"What happened  shouldn't have  happened. But  the blame  is mine,  not

yours, " Leia said. "Your conduct-and your judgment-were both faultless.

**** vice to the New Republic remains on such a high plane. "

A'baht was visibly  embarrassed. "Then-Princess, I  thank you for  your

apology, which you did not owe me. And  I am at your disposal, to serve  in

whatever capacity you feel I can be useful. "

"Good, "  she  said,  standing and  gesturing  at  their  surroundings.

"Because you really don't belong here. Can  I give you a ride to  Eastport,

General? "

The loyalty of small  men can be bought  cheaply, because greed has  no

pride.

Within minutes of General Etahn A'baht's return to the Fifth Fleet, the

armada jumped into  hyperspace, heading for  Farlax and Koornacht  Cluster.

Within minutes of that event, Belezaboth Ourn, extraordinary consul of  the

Paqwepori, had reported it to Viceroy Nil Spaar by hyperspace comm.

"I don't know what orders the general has been given, of course, " Ourn

said. "But the princess herself was seen delivering him to his shuttle, and

the entire fleet is  gone, as quickly  as it returned,  and with as  little

explanation. "

"Thank you, Consul, " Nil Spaar said gravely. "Your assistance will not

be forgotten by the Yevetha. I urge you  to be on guard for more lies  from

the princess and those who serve her. "

"Oh, we will  watch her,  we will watch  her, "  said Ourn.  "Viceroy-a

small question. "

"Of course. "

"When can we expect delivery of the thrustship you promised, in payment

for the damage toMother Valkyriewhich we  agreed to allow? Should I  decide

to  leave  Coruscant,  my  only  options  are  to  charter  a  vessel,   at

considerable  expense,  or  take  a  commercial  flight,  at   considerable

inconvenience. "

Nil Spaar smiled ingratiatingly. "Soon, Consul, soon. The newest vessel

from our best shipyard is being altered to your specifications as we speak.

Have patience. You will not be disappointed. "

In an empty room of a deserted  lodge on the grounds of the  diplomatic

hostel in Imperial City,  a hypercomm repeater answered  a coded call  from

light-years away.

The repeater  in turn  activated a  delicate and  elegant  transmitter,

which bounced a  curious signal into  the heart of  a bland-faced  building

filled with  the  machinery  of  the  New  Republic  government's  official

information net.

Moments  later,   second-shift  supervisor   Turat  Il   Feen  sat   in

open-mouthed amazement at his  master controller station  as the Channel  1

homeworld notification system awakened of its own accord.

Only three offices  could originate the  rare Channel 1  dispatches-the

Ruling Council,  the  President,  and  the  Fleet  High  Command.  But  the

background blue screen  that appeared on  Channel 1 carried  none of  their

identifying insignia. All that appeared were the words TRANSMISSION  BEGINS

IN, followed by a counter.

Even so, Channel 1 went active.  The tickle went out, alerting the  net

that a priority message was imminent.

Almost immediately, hypercomm receivers on every homeworld and in every

administrative center began to respond, signaling their readiness.

"We're being hacked, " Turat raged at his technicians.

"Find out where the signal  is getting in. If we  can't lock it out,  I

want to take the system down. "

But there was little  they could do. "Not  enough time, " a  technician

muttered. "C-Ones are supposed to get out no matter what. That's the way we

built the system. "

At  Turat's  station,  the   acknowledgment  counter  had  climbed   to

ninety-five percent.  "Do something,  " he  pleaded. "If  we let  a  pirate

broadcast out on C-One, we'll all be lucky to get jobs as grid  installers.

"

But they had run out of time. The counter reached 0000 and stopped.

The blue background began to fade.

Turat looked  at  the  acknowledgment counter  and  thought  about  the

audience it represented-not only the  countless thousands of receivers  and

recorders, but the officials charged with attending them. Cabinet ministers

and diplomatic liaisons, senior advisers and planetary rulers, roused  from

sleep, called away from other duties, torn away from their private business

to gather in front of monitors on every planet from Bespin to Byss.

Turat Il Feen could  not sit quietly with  that audience and watch  his

career ending. As the broadcast began, he stood up from his station, turned

away, and walked out.

"Citizens of the  New Republic-" The  door slid closed  behind him.  He

heard no more. In that, he was one of the few.

At the moment the broadcast began, a late meeting was under way in  the

office wing of the  president's residence. Behn-kihl-nahm, Admiral  Ackbar,

Admiral Drayson, Leia, and Han were painstakingly crafting an  announcement

about the  Yevethan massacres,  and  a strategy  to  guide them  after  its

release in the morning.

They had  just broken  a  deadlock over  how  to handle  Plat  Mallar's

involvement-Leia was  determined  not  to  exploit  him,  and  carried  the

argument-when all  four  datapads  on  the table  began  to  chirp  warning

signals.

"Cha nnel One, " Leia said, silencing her alarm.

"Did any of you-"

"No, " said Ackbar.

"Absolutely not, " said Behn-kihl-nahm.

"Then who? " asked Drayson.

"I've got a bad feeling about this, " Han said darkly.

The holomonitor on  the end  wall came  on by  itself for  a Channel  1

dispatch. "Citizens of the New Republic, " said the image of Nil Spaar.

"I beg your  indulgence for  this intrusion,  and I  apologize for  the

unhappy news I must bring you. "

Behn-kihl-nahm flushed in an  angry red. "If any  member of the  Senate

has had any part in this-"

"Quiet, " Drayson said sharply.

"I am the viceroy of the  Duskhan League, a free federation of  Yevetha

worlds in what you call  the Koornacht Cluster, "  said Nil Spaar. "I  have

come to you a second time to  tell you of events far from your  homeworlds,

and warn you of a danger very close at hand.

"Two days ago,  the forces  of the  Yevethan Protectorate  successfully

thwarted a deadly plot  against our people  and our way  of life. The  plot

involved inhabitants of three planets-"

"Three? " said Behn-kihl-nahm. "They can't count or tell the truth. "

"-located near the boundaries of  our territory. These outsiders,  whom

we had generously allowed  to settle on Yevethan  soil, betrayed our  trust

and hospitality. All were discovered  to be secretly assisting our  enemies

prepare for an invasion.

"We have escaped the immediate danger. We acted swiftly and  forcefully

in our defense, and we make no apology for doing so. All those  responsible

have been executed for their crimes-"

"Great stars, " said Ackbar. "He's claiming credit for the massacres. "

"-but you, the homeworlds, remain  in danger. Because the plot  against

us was hatched on Coruscant, by a new generation of warlords. They are  our

enemies-not because we wish it, but because they have chosen it.

"They are your enemies as well.  They hide their faces and their  evils

behind a cloak of  open government. Do not  underestimate their perfidy.  A

New Empire is being born, led by a child of the old Empire. Your dream  has

been betrayed. You have placed your trust in immoral and deceitful leaders.

"I accuse President Princess  Leia Organa Solo  of high crimes  against

her office, and against my people.

"Even now, after her  conspiracy has been  revealed, she threatens  us.

Warships of the New Empire  are in Farlax at  this very moment, seeking  to

compel my silence and our submission. She covets our wealth, and fears  our

independence.

"But know this-the Yevetha will never  bow our necks to this woman  and

her hired killers. We  will resist her predations  to the fullest  measure.

Her spies and conspirators know that  now. Her generals will know it  soon.

We will resist, and we will prevail.

"We regret the deaths  which have already transpired.  But they are  on

her hands, and the hands of those  who serve her without question. We  have

the right to protect ourselves. We  will never accept the authority of  the

Coruscant warlords over our dominion. And we will not tolerate the daughter

of Vader meddling in our affairs.

"If you do not  renounce her, and  you will not  restrain her, then  be

prepared for war. "

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

MICHAEL P. KUBE-McDOWELL is the pen name of Philadelphia-born  novelist

Michael Paul McDowell. His highly  praised works include the  star-spanning

1985 Philip K. Dick Award finalistEmpriseand the evocative 1991 Hugo  Award

nomineeThe Quiet Pools.

In addition to his eight previous novels, Michael has contributed  more

than  two  dozen  short  stories  to  leading  magazines  and  anthologies,

including Analog,  The Magazine  of Fantasy  & Science  Fiction, After  the

Flames, and Alternate Warriors. Three of  his stories have been adapted  as

episodes of the horror-fantasy television  series Tales from the  Darkside.

He is the author of more than five hundred nonfiction articles on  subjects

ranging from "scientific creationism" to the U.S. space program.

A popular guest  at SF  conventions, Michael is  also a  member of  the

cheerfully amateur folk-rock group The Black  Book Band, in which he  plays

guitar, keyboards, and viola. A live album, First Contact, was released  in

1995 by Dodeka Records.

Michael resides in  central Michigan  with artist  and modelmaker  Gwen

Zak, children Matt and Amanda, cats Doc and Captain, and "entirely too many

books. " At  various times  he has  called Fairview  Village (Camden),  New

Jersey; East Lansing, Sturgis, and Lansing, Michigan; and Goshen,  Indiana,

home.

"Kube" is pronounced "CUE-bee.