The Thrawn Trilogy I: Heir to the Empire



TimothyZahn

HeirtotheEmpire



Book1ofthe"Thrawn"trilogy

Chapter1

"CaptainPellaeon?"avoicecalleddowntheportsidecrewpitthroughthehum

ofbackgroundconversation."Messagefromthesentryline:thescoutshipshave

justcomeoutoflightspeed."

Pellaeon, leaning over the shoulder of the man at the Chimaera 's bridge

engineering monitor, ignored the shout. "Trace this line for me," he ordered,

tappingalightpenattheschematiconthedisplay.

Theengineerthrewaquestioningglanceupathim."Sir...?"

"Iheardhim,"Pellaeonsaid."Youhaveanorder,Lieutenant."

"Yes,sir,"theothersaidcarefully,andkeyedforthetrace.

"CaptainPellaeon?"thevoicerepeated,closerthistime.Keepinghiseyesonthe

engineering display, Pellaeon waited until he could hear the sound of the

approaching footsteps. Then, with all the regal weight that fifty years spent in

theImperialFleetgavetoaman,hestraightenedupandturned.

Theyoungdutyofficer'sbriskwalkfaltered;cametoanabrupthalt."Uh,sir—"

HelookedintoPellaeon'seyesandhisvoicefadedaway.

Pellaeonletthesilencehangintheairforahandfulofheartbeats,longenough

forthosenearesttonotice.

"This is not a cattle market in Shaum Hii, Lieutenant Tschel," he said at last,

keeping his voice calm but icy cold. "This is the bridge of an Imperial Star

Destroyer. Routine information is not—repeat, not —simply shouted in the

generaldirectionofitsintendedrecipient.Isthatclear?"

Tschelswallowed."Yes,sir."

Pellaeonheld hiseyesa fewsecondslonger, thenloweredhis headin aslight

nod."Now.Report."

"Yes,sir."Tschel swallowedagain."We'vejust receivedwordfromthesentry

ships, sir: the scouts have returned from their scan raid on the Obroa-skai

system."

"Verygood,"Pellaeonnodded."Didtheyhaveanytrouble?"

"Onlyalittle,sir—thenativesapparentlytookexceptiontothempullingadump

of their central library system. The wing commander said there was some

attemptatpursuit,butthathelostthem."

"I hope so," Pellaeon said grimly. Obroa-skai held a strategic position in the

borderlandregions,andintelligencereportsindicatedthattheNewRepublicwas

making a strong bid for its membership and support. If they'd had armed

emissaryshipsthereatthetimeoftheraid....

Well,he'dknowsoonenough."Havethewingcommanderreporttothebridge

readyroomwithhisreportassoonastheshipsareaboard,"hetoldTschel."And

havethesentrylinegotoyellowalert.

Dismissed."

"Yes,sir."Spinningaroundwithareasonablygoodimitationofapropermilitary

turn,thelieutenantheadedbacktowardthecommunicationsconsole.

The young lieutenant... which was, Pellaeon thought with a trace of old

bitterness, where the problem really lay. In the old days—at the height of the

Empire's power—it would have been inconceivable for a man as young as

TscheltoserveasabridgeofficeraboardashipliketheChimaera.Now—He

looked down at the equally young man at the engineering monitor. Now, in

contrast, the Chimaera had virtually no one aboard except young men and

women.

Slowly,Pellaeonlethiseyessweepacrossthebridge,feelingtheechoesofold

angerandhatredtwistthroughhisstomach.Therehadbeenmanycommanders

in the Fleet, he knew, who had seen the Emperor's original Death Star as a

blatantattempttobringtheEmpire'svastmilitarypowermoretightlyunderhis

directcontrol,justashe'dalreadydone withthe Empire'spoliticalpower.The

fact that he'd ignored the battle station's proven vulnerability and gone ahead

with a second Death Star had merely reinforced that suspicion. There would

havebeenfewintheFleet'supperechelonswhowouldhavegenuinelymourned

itsloss...ifithadn't,initsdeaththroes,takentheSuperStarDestroyerExecutor

withit.

Even after five years Pellaeon couldn't help but wince at the memory of that

image:theExecutor,outofcontrol,collidingwiththeunfinishedDeathStarand

thendisintegratingcompletelyinthebattlestation'smassiveexplosion.Theloss

oftheshipitselfhadbeenbadenough;butthefactthatitwastheExecutorhad

madeitfarworse.ThatparticularSuperStarDestroyerhadbeenDarthVader's

personal ship, and despite the Dark Lord's legendary—and often lethal—

capriciousness, serving aboard it had long been perceived as the quick line to

promotion.

WhichmeantthatwhentheExecutordied,soalsodidadisproportionatefraction

ofthebestyoungandmidlevelofficersandcrewers.

TheFleethadneverrecoveredfromthatfiasco.WiththeExecutor'sleadership

gone,thebattlehadquicklyturnedintoaconfusedrout,withseveralotherStar

Destroyers being lost before the order to withdraw had finally been given.

Pellaeon himself, taking command when the Chimera 's former captain was

killed, had done what he could to hold things together; but despite his best

efforts, they had never regained the initiative against the Rebels. Instead, they

hadbeensteadilypushedback...untiltheywerehere.

Here,inwhathadoncebeenthebackwateroftheEmpire,withbarelyaquarter

ofitsformer systemsstillunder nominalImperialcontrol. Here,aboarda Star

Destroyer manned almost entirely by painstakingly trained but badly

inexperiencedyoungpeople,manyofthemconscriptedfromtheirhomeworlds

byforceorthreatofforce.

Here,underthecommandofpossiblythegreatestmilitarymindtheEmpirehad

everseen.

Pellaeonsmiled—atight,wolfishsmile—asheagainlookedaroundhisbridge.

No, the end of the Empire was not yet. As the arrogantly self-

proclaimedNewRepublic would soon discover. He glanced at his watch. Two-

fifteen. Grand Admiral Thrawn would be meditating in his command room

now... and if Imperial procedure frowned on shouting across the bridge, it

frownedevenharderoninterruptingaGrandAdmiral'smeditationbyintercom.

Onespoketohiminperson,oronedidnotspeaktohimatall.

"Continuetracingthoselines,"Pellaeonorderedtheengineeringlieutenantashe

headedforthedoor."I'llbebackshortly."

TheGrandAdmiral'snewcommandroomwastwolevelsbelowthebridge,ina

spacethathadoncehousedtheformercommander'sluxuryentertainmentsuite.

When Pellaeon had found Thrawn—or rather, when the Grand Admiral had

foundhim—one ofhis firstacts hadbeen totakeoverthesuiteandconvertit

intowhatwasessentiallyasecondarybridge.

A secondary bridge, meditation room... and perhaps more. It was no secret

aboard the Chimaera that since the recent refitting had been completed the

GrandAdmiralhadbeenspendingagreatdealofhistimehere.Whatwassecret

waswhatexactlyhedidduringthoselonghours.

Steppingtothedoor,Pellaeonstraightenedhistunicandbracedhimself.Perhaps

hewasabouttofindout."CaptainPellaeontoseeGrandAdmiralThrawn,"he

announced."Ihaveinforma—"

The door slid open before he'd finished speaking. Mentally preparing himself,

Pellaeonsteppedintothedimlylitentryroom.Heglancedaround,sawnothing

ofinterest,andstartedforthedoortothemainchamber,fivepacesahead.

Atouchofaironthebackofhisneckwashisonlywarning."CaptainPellaeon,"

adeep,gravelly,catlikevoicemewedintohisear.

Pellaeon jumped and spun around, cursing both himself and the short, wiry

creaturestandinglessthanhalfameteraway."Blastit,Rukh,"hesnarled."What

doyouthinkyou'redoing?"

ForalongmomentRukhjustlookedupathim,andPellaeonfeltadropofsweat

trickledownhisback.

Withhislargedarkeyes,protrudingjaw,andglisteningneedleteeth,Rukhwas

evenmoreofanightmareinthedimnessthanhewasinnormallighting.

EspeciallytosomeonelikePellaeon,whoknewwhatThrawnusedRukhandhis

fellowNoghrifor.

"I'mdoingmyjob,"Rukhsaidatlast.Hestretchedhisthinarmalmostcasually

out toward the inner door, and Pellaeon caught just a glimpse of the slender

assassin'sknifebeforeitvanished somehowintotheNoghri'ssleeve. Hishand

closed, thenopenedagain,steel-wire muscles moving visibly beneath his dark

grayskin."Youmayenter."

"Thankyou,"Pellaeongrowled.Straighteninghistunicagain,heturnedbackto

thedoor.Itopenedathisapproach,andhesteppedthrough—Intoasoftlylitart

museum.

Hestoppedshort,justinsidetheroom,andlookedaroundinastonishment.The

wallsanddomedceilingwerecoveredwithflatpaintingsandplanics,afewof

them vaguely human-looking but most of distinctly alien origin. Various

sculptureswerescatteredaround,somefreestanding,othersonpedestals.Inthe

center of the room was a double circle of repeater displays, the outer ring

slightlyhigherthantheinnerring.Bothsetsofdisplays,atleastfromwhatlittle

Pellaeoncouldsee,alsoseemedtobedevotedtopicturesofartwork.

And in the center of the double circle, seated in a duplicate of the Admiral's

Chaironthebridge,wasGrandAdmiralThrawn.

Hesatmotionlessly,hisshimmeryblue-blackhairglintinginthedimlight,his

paleblueskinlookingcoolandsubduedandveryalienonhisotherwisehuman

frame.Hiseyeswerenearlyclosedasheleanedbackagainsttheheadrest,onlya

glintofredshowingbetweenthelids.

Pellaeon licked his lips, suddenly unsure of the wisdom of having invaded

Thrawn'ssanctumlikethis.IftheGrandAdmiraldecidedtobeannoyed....

"Come in, Captain," Thrawn said, his quietly modulated voice cutting through

Pellaeon's thoughts. Eyes still closed to slits, he waved a hand in a small and

preciselymeasuredmotion."Whatdoyouthink?"

"It's...veryinteresting,sir,"wasallPellaeoncouldcomeupwithashewalked

overtotheouterdisplaycircle.

"Allholographic,ofcourse,"Thrawnsaid,andPellaeonthoughthecouldheara

noteofregretintheother'svoice."Thesculpturesandflatsboth.Someofthem

arelost;manyoftheothersareonplanetsnowoccupiedbytheRebellion."

"Yes, sir," Pellaeon nodded. "I thought you'd want to know, Admiral, that the

scoutshavereturnedfromtheObroa-skaisystem.Thewingcommanderwillbe

readyfordebriefinginafewminutes."

Thrawnnodded."Weretheyabletotapintothecentrallibrarysystem?"

"Theygotatleastapartialdump,"Pellaeontoldhim."Idon'tknowyetifthey

were able to complete it—apparently, there was some attempt at pursuit. The

wingcommanderthinkshelostthem,though."

For a moment Thrawn was silent. "No," he said. "No, I don't believe he has.

ParticularlynotifthepursuerswerefromtheRebellion."Takingadeepbreath,

he straightened in his chair and, for the first time since Pellaeon had entered,

openedhisglowingredeyes.

Pellaeon returned the other's gaze without flinching, feeling a small flicker of

prideattheachievement.

ManyoftheEmperor'stopcommandersandcourtiershadneverlearnedtofeel

comfortable with those eyes. Or with Thrawn himself, for that matter. Which

wasprobablywhytheGrandAdmiralhadspentsomuchofhiscareeroutinthe

UnknownRegions,working to bring thosestill-barbaricsections of the galaxy

underImperialcontrol.HisbrilliantsuccesseshadwonhimthetitleofWarlord

andtherighttowearthewhiteuniformofGrandAdmiral—theonlynonhuman

evergrantedthathonorbytheEmperor.

Ironically, it had also made him all the more indispensable to the frontier

campaigns. Pellaeon had often wondered how the Battle of Endor would have

endedifThrawn,notVader,hadbeencommandingtheExecutor."Yes,sir,"he

said."I'veorderedthesentrylineontoyellowalert.Shallwegotored?"

"Notyet,"Thrawnsaid."Weshouldstillhaveafewminutes.Tellme,Captain,

doyouknowanythingaboutart?"

"Ah...notverymuch,"Pellaeonmanaged,thrownalittlebythesuddenchange

ofsubject."I'veneverreallyhadmuchtimetodevotetoit."

"You should make the time." Thrawn gestured to a part of the inner display

circle to his right. "Saffa paintings," he identified them. "Circa 1550 to 2200,

Pre-Empire Date. Note how the style changes—right here—at the first contact

with the Thennqora. Over there—" he pointed to the left-hand wall "—are

examplesofPaoniddextrassaart.NotethesimilaritieswiththeearlySaffawork,

andalsothemid-eighteenth-centuryPre-EmVaathkreeflatsculp."

"Yes,Isee,"Pellaeonsaid,notentirelytruthfully."Admiral,shouldn'twebe—?"

Hebrokeoffasashrillwhistlesplittheair."BridgetoGrandAdmiralThrawn,"

LieutenantTschel'stautvoicecalledovertheintercom."Sir,we'reunderattack!"

Thrawntappedtheintercomswitch."ThisisThrawn,"hesaidevenly."Gotored

alert,andtellmewhatwe'vegot.Calmly,ifpossible."

"Yes, sir." The muted alert lights began flashing, and Pellaeon could hear the

sound oftheklaxonsbaying faintly outside the room. "Sensorsarepicking up

four New Republic Assault Frigates," Tschel continued, his voice tense but

undernoticeablybettercontrol."PlusatleastthreewingsofX-wingfighters.

Symmetriccloud-veeformation,cominginonourscoutships'vector."

Pellaeon swore under his breath. A single Star Destroyer, with a largely

inexperienced crew, against four Assault Frigates and their accompanying

fighters..."Runenginestofullpower,"hecalledtowardtheintercom."Prepare

tomakethejumptolightspeed."Hetookasteptowardthedoor—"Belaythat

jumporder,Lieutenant,"Thrawnsaid,stillglaciallycalm."TIEfightercrewsto

theirstations;activatedeflectorshields."

Pellaeonspunbacktohim."Admiral—"

Thrawn cut him off with an upraised hand. "Come here, Captain," the Grand

Admiralordered."Let'stakealook,shallwe?"

Hetouchedaswitch;andabruptly,theartshowwasgone.Instead,theroomhad

becomeaminiaturebridgemonitor,withhelm,engine,andweaponsreadoutson

thewallsanddoubledisplaycircle.Theopenspacehadbecomeaholographic

tacticaldisplay;inonecorneraflashingsphereindicatedtheinvaders.Thewall

displaynearesttoitgaveanETAestimateoftwelveminutes.

"Fortunately, the scoutships have enough of a lead not to be in danger

themselves,"Thrawncommented.

"So. Let's see what exactly we're dealing with. Bridge: order the three nearest

sentryshipstoattack."

"Yes,sir."

Across the room, three blue dots shifted out of the sentry line onto intercept

vectors.FromthecornerofhiseyePellaeonsawThrawnleanforwardinhisseat

astheAssaultFrigatesandaccompanyingX-wingsshiftedinresponse.Oneof

theblue dotswinked out—"Excellent," Thrawnsaid,leaningbackinhisseat.

"That will do, Lieutenant. Pull the other two sentry ships back, and order the

SectorFourlinetoscrambleoutoftheinvaders'vector."

"Yes,sir,"Tschelsaid,soundingmorethanalittleconfused.

A confusion Pellaeon could well understand. "Shouldn't we at least signal the

restoftheFleet?"hesuggested,hearingthetightnessinhisvoice."TheDeath's

Headcouldbehereintwentyminutes,mostoftheothersinlessthananhour."

"Thelastthingwewanttodorightnowisbringinmoreofourships,Captain,"

Thrawnsaid.HelookedupatPellaeon,andafaintsmiletouchedhislips."After

all,theremaybesurvivors,andwewouldn'twanttheRebellionlearningabout

us.Wouldwe."

He turned back to his displays. "Bridge: I want a twenty-degree port yaw

rotation—bring us flat to the invaders' vector, superstructure pointing at them.

Assoonasthey'rewithintheouterperimeter,theSectorFoursentrylineistore-

formbehindthemandjamalltransmissions."

"Y-yes,sir.Sir—?"

"You don't have to understand, Lieutenant," Thrawn said, his voice abruptly

cold."Justobey."

"Yes,sir."

PellaeontookacarefulbreathasthedisplaysshowedtheChimaerarotatingas

perorders."I'mafraidIdon'tunderstand,either,Admiral,"hesaid."Turningour

superstructuretowardthem—"

Again,Thrawnstoppedhimwithanupraisedhand."Watchandlearn,Captain.

That's fine, bridge: stop rotation and hold position here. Drop docking bay

deflectorshields,boostpowertoallothers.TIE

fighter squadrons: launch when ready. Head directly away from the Chimaera

fortwokilometers,thensweeparoundinopenclusterformation.Backfirespeed,

zonalattackpattern."

He got an acknowledgment, then looked up at Pellaeon. "Do you understand

now,Captain?"

Pellaeonpursedhislips."I'mafraidnot,"headmitted."Iseenowthatthereason

you turned the ship was to give the fighters some exit cover, but the rest is

nothingbutaclassicMargSablclosuremaneuver.

They'renotgoingtofallforanythingthatsimple."

"Onthecontrary,"Thrawncorrectedcoolly."Notonlywilltheyfallforit,they'll

beutterlydestroyedbyit.Watch,Captain.Andlearn."

The TIE fighters launched, accelerating away from the Chimaera and then

leaninghardintoethericrudderstosweepbackarounditlikethesprayofsome

exoticfountain.The invading ships spottedtheattackers and shifted vectors—

Pellaeonblinked."WhatintheEmpirearetheydoing?"

"They're trying the only defense they know of against a Marg Sabl," Thrawn

said,andthere was nomistaking the satisfactionin his voice."Or, to bemore

precise, the only defense they are psychologically capable of attempting." He

nodded toward the flashing sphere. "You see, Captain, there's an Elom

commanding that force... and Elomin simply cannot handle the unstructured

attackprofileofaproperlyexecutedMargSabl."

Pellaeon stared at the invaders, still shifting into their utterly useless defense

stance...andslowlyitdawnedonhimwhatThrawnhadjustdone."Thatsentry

ship attack a few minutes ago," he said. "You were able to tell from that that

thosewereElominships?"

"Learnabout art,Captain,"Thrawn said,his voicealmostdreamy."Whenyou

understandaspecies'art,youunderstandthatspecies."

Hestraightenedinhischair."Bridge:bringustoflankspeed.Preparetojointhe

attack."

Anhourlater,itwasallover.



Thereadyroomdoorslidshutbehindthewingcommander,andPellaeongazed

backatthemapstillonthedisplay."SoundslikeObroa-skaiisadeadend,"he

saidregretfully."There'snowaywe'llbeabletosparethemanpowerthatmuch

pacificationwouldcost."

"Fornow,perhaps,"Thrawnagreed."Butonlyfornow."

Pellaeonfrownedacrossthetableathim.Thrawnwasfiddlingwithadatacard,

rubbingitabsentlybetweenfingerandthumb,ashestaredouttheviewportat

thestars.Astrangesmileplayedabouthislips."Admiral?"heaskedcarefully.

Thrawnturnedhishead,thoseglowingeyescomingtorestonPellaeon."It'sthe

second piece of the puzzle, Captain," he said softly, holding up the data card.

"ThepieceI'vebeensearchingfornowforoverayear."

Abruptly,heturnedtotheintercom,jabbediton."Bridge,thisisGrandAdmiral

Thrawn. Signal the Death's Head; inform Captain Harbidwe'llbetemporarily

leavingtheFleet.He'stocontinuemakingtacticalsurveysofthelocalsystems

and pulling datadumpswhereverpossible.Then set course for a planet called

Myrkr—thenavcomputerhasitslocation."

Thebridgeacknowledged,andThrawnturnedbacktoPellaeon."Youseemlost,

Captain,"hesuggested."Itakeityou'veneverheardofMyrkr."

Pellaeon shook his head, trying without success to read the Grand Admiral's

expression."ShouldIhave?"

"Probably not. Most of those who have been smugglers, malcontents, and

otherwiseuselessdregsofthegalaxy."

Hepaused,takingameasuredsipfromthemugathiselbow—astrongForvish

ale,fromthesmellofit—andPellaeonforcedhimselftoremainsilent.Whatever

theGrandAdmiralwasgoingtotellhim,hewasobviouslygoingtotellitinhis

own way and time. "I ran across an offhand reference to it some seven years

ago,"Thrawncontinued,settinghismugbackdown."Whatcaughtmyattention

was the fact that, although the planet had been populated for at least three

hundredyears,boththeOldRepublicandtheJediofthattimehadalwaysleftit

strictly alone." He cocked one blue-black eyebrow slightly. "What would you

inferfromthat,Captain?"

Pellaeon shrugged. "That it's a frontier planet, somewhere too far away for

anyonetocareabout."

"Very good, Captain. That was my first assumption, too... except that it's not.

Myrkris,infact,nomorethanahundredfiftylight-yearsfromhere—closeto

our border with the Rebellion and well within theOldRepublic 's boundaries."

Thrawn dropped his eyes to the data card still in his hand. "No, the actual

explanationisfarmoreinteresting.Andfarmoreuseful."

Pellaeon looked at the data card, too. "And that explanation became the first

pieceofthispuzzleofyours?"

Thrawn smiled at him. "Again, Captain, very good. Yes. Myrkr—or more

precisely,oneofitsindigenousanimals—wasthefirstpiece.Thesecondisona

worldcalledWayland."Hewavedthedatacard."Aworldforwhich,thanksto

theObroans,Ifinallyhavealocation."

"Icongratulateyou,"Pellaeonsaid,suddenlytiredofthisgame"MayIaskjust

whatexactlythispuzzleis?"

Thrawn smiled—a smile that sent a shiver up Pellaeon's back. "Why the only

puzzleworthsolving,ofcourse,"theGrandAdmiralsaidsoftly."Thecomplete,

total,andutterdestructionoftheRebellion."

Chapter2

"Luke?"

The voice came softly but insistently. Pausing amid the familiar landscape of

Tatooine—familiar,yetoddlydistorted—LukeSkywalkerturnedtolook.

An equally familiar figure stood there watching him. "Hello, Ben," Luke said,

hisvoicesoundingsluggishinhisears."Beenalongtime."

"It has indeed," Obi-wan Kenobi said gravely. "And I'm afraid that it will be

longerstilluntilthenexttime.I'vecometosaygoodbye,Luke."

The landscape seemed to tremble; and abruptly, a small part of Luke's mind

remembered that he was asleep. Asleep in his suite in theImperialPalace , and

dreamingofBenKenobi.

"No, I'm not a dream," Ben assured him, answering Luke's unspoken thought.

"Butthedistancesseparatingushavebecometoogreatformetoappeartoyou

inanyotherway.Now,eventhislastpathisbeingclosedtome."

"No,"Lukeheardhimselfsay."Youcan'tleaveus,Ben.Weneedyou."

Ben'seyebrowsliftedslightly,andahintofhisoldsmiletouchedhislips."You

don'tneedme,Luke.

YouareaJedi,strongintheForce."Thesmilefaded,andforamomenthiseyes

seemedtofocusonsomethingLukecouldn'tsee."Atanyrate,"headdedquietly,

"thedecisionisnotminetomake.Ihavelingeredtoolongalready,andcanno

longerpostponemyjourneyfromthislifetowhatliesbeyond."

Amemorystirred:Yodaonhisdeathbed,andLukepleadingwithhimnottodie.

Strong am I in the Force, the Jedi Master had told him softly. But not that

strong.

"Itisthepatternofalllifetomoveon,"Benremindedhim."You,too,willface

this same journey one day." Again, his attention drifted away, then returned.

"You are strong in the Force, Luke, and with perseverance and discipline you

will grow stronger still." His gaze hardened. "But you must never relax your

guard. The Emperor is gone, but the dark side is still powerful. Never forget

that."

"Iwon't,"Lukepromised.

Ben's face softened, and again he smiled. "You will yet face great dangers,

Luke,"hesaid."Butyouwillalsofindnewallies,attimesandplaceswhereyou

expectthemleast."

"Newallies?"Lukeechoed."Whoarethey?"

Thevisionseemedtowaverandbecomefainter."Andnow,farewell,"Bensaid,

asifhehadn'theardthequestion."Ilovedyouasason,andasastudent,andas

afriend.Untilwemeetagain,maytheForcebewithyou."

"Ben—!"

But Ben turned, and the image faded... and in the dream, Luke knew he was

gone.ThenIamalone,hetoldhimself.IamthelastoftheJedi.

HeseemedtohearBen'svoice,faintandindistinct,asiffromagreatdistance.

"NotthelastoftheoldJedi,Luke.Thefirstofthenew."

Thevoicetrailedoffintosilence,andwasgone...andLukewokeup.

For a moment he just lay there, staring at the dim lights of theImperialCity

playing across the ceiling above his bed and struggling through the sleep-

induced disorientation. The disorientation, and an immense weight of sadness

thatseemedtofillthecoreofhisbeing.FirstUncleOwenandAuntBeruhad

beenmurdered;thenDarthVader,hisrealfather,hadsacrificedhisownlifefor

Luke's;andnowevenBenKenobi'sspirithadbeentakenaway.

Forthethirdtime,he'dbeenorphaned.

With a sigh, he slid out from under the blankets and pulled on his robe and

slippers.Hissuitecontainedasmallkitchenette,andittookonlyafewminutes

tofixhimselfadrink,aparticularlyexoticconcoctionLandohadintroducedhim

toonhislastvisittoCoruscant.Then,attachinghislightsabertohisrobesash,

heheadeduptotheroof.

He had argued strongly against moving the center of theNewRepublic here to

Coruscant; had argued even more strongly against setting up their fledgling

government in the oldImperialPalace . The symbolism was all wrong, for one

thing,particularlyforagroupwhich—inhisopinion—alreadyhadatendencyto

paytoomuchattentiontosymbols.

Butdespiteallitsdrawbacks,hehadtoadmitthattheviewfromthetopofthe

Palacewasspectacular.

For a few minutes he stood at the roof's edge, leaning against the chest-high

wroughtstonerailingandlettingthecoolnightbreezerufflehishair.Eveninthe

middleofthenight theImperialCity was abustleof activity, with the lightsof

vehiclesandstreetsintertwiningtoformasortofflowingworkofart.

Overhead,litbyboththecitylightsandthoseofoccasionalairspeedersflitting

throughthem,thelowlyingcloudswereadimsculpturedceilingstretchinginall

directions,withthesameapparentendlessnessasthecityitself.Fartothesouth,

he could just make out theManaraiMountains , their snow-covered peaks

illuminated,liketheclouds,largelybyreflectedlightfromthecity.

Hewasgazingatthemountainswhen,twentymetersbehindhim,thedoorinto

thePalacewasquietlyopened.

Automatically,hishandmovedtowardhislightsaber;butthemotionhadbarely

begunbeforeitstopped.

The sense of the creature coming through the doorway... "I'm over here,

Threepio,"hecalled.

HeturnedtoseeC-3POshufflinghiswayacrosstherooftowardhim,radiating

the droid'susualmixture of relief and concern. "Hello,MasterLuke," he said,

tiltinghisheadtolookatthecupinLuke'shand.

"I'mterriblysorrytodisturbyou."

"That'sallright,"Luketoldhim."Ijustwantedsomefreshair,that'sall."

"Areyoucertain?"Threepioasked."ThoughofcourseIdon'tmeantopry."

Despite his mood, Luke couldn't help but smile. Threepio's attempts to be

simultaneouslyhelpful,inquisitive,andpoliteneverquitecameoff.Notwithout

lookingvaguelycomical,anyway."I'mjustalittledepressed,I guess,"hetold

thedroid,turningbacktogazeoutoverthecityagain."Puttingtogetherareal,

functioninggovernmentisalotharderthanIexpected.Harderthanmostofthe

Councilmembersexpected,too."Hehesitated."Mostly,IguessI'mmissingBen

tonight."

ForamomentThreepiowassilent."Hewasalwaysverykindtome,"hesaidat

last."AndalsotoArtoo,ofcourse."

Luke raised his cup to his lips, hiding another smile behind it. "You have a

uniqueperspectiveontheuniverse,Threepio,"hesaid.

Fromthecornerofhiseye,hesawThreepiostiffen."IhopeIdidn'toffendyou,

sir,"thedroidsaidanxiously."Thatwascertainlynotmyintent."

"Youdidn'toffendme,"Lukeassuredhim."Asamatteroffact,youmighthave

justdeliveredBen'slastlessontome."

"Ibegyourpardon?"

Luke sipped at his drink. "Governments and entire planets are important,

Threepio. But when you sift everything down, they're all just made up of

people."

Therewasabriefpause."Oh,"Threepiosaid.

"In other words," Luke amplified, "a Jedi can't get so caught up in matters of

galacticimportancethatitinterfereswithhisconcernforindividualpeople."He

lookedatThreepioandsmiled."Orforindividualdroids."

"Oh.Isee,sir."ThreepiocockedhisheadtowardLuke'scup."Forgiveme,sir...

butmayIaskwhatthatisthatyou'redrinking?"

"This?"Lukeglanceddownathiscup."It'sjustsomethingLandotaughtmehow

tomakeawhileback."

"Lando?" Threepio echoed, and there was no missing the disapproval in his

voice.Programmedpolitenessornot,thedroidhadneverreallymuchcaredfor

Lando.

Which wasn't very surprising, given the circumstances of their first meeting.

"Yes,butinspiteofsuchashadyorigin,it'sreallyquitegood,"Luketoldhim.

"It'scalledhotchocolate."

"Oh. I see." The droid straightened up. "Well, then, sir. If you are indeed all

right,IexpectIshouldbeonmyway."

"Sure.Bytheway,whatmadeyoucomeuphereinthefirstplace?"

"Princess Leia sent me, of course," Threepio answered, clearly surprised that

Lukewouldhavetoask.

"Shesaidyouwereinsomekindofdistress."

Lukesmiledandshookhishead.LeaveittoLeiatofindawaytocheerhimup

whenheneededit.

"Show-off,"hemurmured.

"Ibegyourpardon,sir?"

Lukewavedahand."Leia'sshowingoffhernewJediskills,that'sall.Proving

thateveninthemiddleofthenightshecanpickuponmymood."

Threepio'sheadtilted."Shereallydidseemconcernedaboutyou,sir."

"Iknow,"Lukesaid."I'mjustjoking."

"Oh." Threepio seemed to think about that. "Shall I tell her you're all right,

then?"

"Sure,"Lukenodded."Andwhileyou'redownthere,tellherthatsheshouldquit

worrying about me and get herself back to sleep. Those bouts of morning

sicknessshestillgetsarebadenoughwhensheisn'tworn-outtired."

"I'lldeliverthemessage,sir,"Threepiosaid.

"And,"Lukeaddedquietly,"tellherIloveher."

"Yes,sir.Goodnight,MasterLuke."

"Goodnight,Threepio."

He watched the droid go, a fresh flow of depression threatening again to drag

himdown.Threepiowouldn'tunderstand,ofcourse—nooneontheProvisional

Councilhadunderstood,either.ButforLeia,justoverthreemonthspregnant,to

bespendingthebulkofhertimehere...

Heshivered,andnotfromthecoolnightair.Thisplaceisstrongwiththedark

side. Yoda had said that of the cave on Dagobah—the cave where Luke had

goneontofightalightsaberduelwithaDarthVaderwhohadturnedouttobe

Lukehimself.Forweeksafterwardthememoryofthesheerpowerandpresence

ofthedarksidehadhauntedhisthoughts;onlymuchlaterhadhefinallyrealized

thatYoda'sprimaryreasonfortheexercisehadbeentoshowhimhowfarhestill

hadtogo.

Still, he'd often wondered how the cave had come to be the way it had.

Wondered whether perhaps someone or somethingstrong in the dark side had

oncelivedthere.

AstheEmperorhadoncelivedhere....

Heshiveredagain.Thereallymaddeningpartofitwasthathecouldn'tsenseany

suchconcentrationofevilinthePalace.TheCouncilhadmadeapointofasking

himaboutthat, infact,when they'dfirstconsideredmovingoperationshereto

theImperialCity.He'dhadtogrithisteethandtellthemthat,no,thereseemedto

benoresidualeffectsoftheEmperor'sstay.

Butjustbecausehecouldn'tsenseitdidn'tnecessarilymeanitwasn'tthere.

He shook his head. Stop it, he ordered himself firmly. Jumping at shadows

wasn'tgoingtogainhimanythingbutparanoia.Hisrecentnightmaresandpoor

sleep were probably nothing more than the stresses of watching Leia and the

others struggling to turn a military-oriented rebellion into a civilian-based

government. Certainly Leia would never have agreed to come anywhere near

thisplaceifshe'dhadanydoubtsherselfaboutit.

Leia.

With an effort, Luke forced his mind to relax and let his Jedi senses reach

outward.Halfwayacrossthepalace'suppersectionhecouldfeelLeia'sdrowsy

presence.Herpresence,andthatofthetwinsshecarriedwithinher.

Foramoment heheldthe partialcontact,keeping itlightenough tohopefully

not wake her any further, marveling again at the strange feel of the unborn

childrenwithinher.TheSkywalkerheritagewasindeedwiththem;thefactthat

he could sense them at all implied they must be tremendously strong in the

Force.

Atleast,heassumedthatwaswhatitmeant.Ithadbeensomethinghe'dhoped

hewouldsomedayhaveachancetoaskBenabout.

Andnowthatchancewasgone.

Fightingbacksuddentears,hebrokethecontact.Hismugfeltcoldagainsthis

hand;swallowingtherestofthechocolate,hetookonelastlookaround.Atthe

city, at the clouds... and, in his mind's eye, at the stars that lay beyond them.

Stars, around which revolved planets, upon which lived people. Billions of

people. Many of them still waiting for the freedom and light theNewRepublic

hadpromisedthem.

Heclosedhiseyesagainstthebrightlightsandtheequallybrighthopes.There

was,hethoughtwearily,nomagicwandthatcouldmakeeverythingbetter.

NotevenforaJedi.



Threepio shuffled his way out of the room, and with a tired sigh Leia Organa

Solosettledbackagainstthepillows.Halfavictoryisbetterthannone,theold

sayingcrossedhermind.

Theoldsayingshe'dneverbelievedforaminute.Halfavictory,toherwayof

thinking,wasalsohalfadefeat.

Shesighedagain,feelingthetouchofLuke'smind.HisencounterwithThreepio

hadlightenedhisdarkmood,asshe'dhopeditwould;butwiththedroidgone,

thedepressionwasthreateningtoovertakehimagain.

Perhapssheshould gotohimherself. Seeifshecouldget himtotalkthrough

whateveritwasthathadbeenbotheringhimforthepastfewweeks.

Her stomach twisted, just noticeably. "It's all right," she soothed, rubbing her

hand gently across her belly. "It's all right. I'm just worried about your Uncle

Luke,that'sall."

Slowly, the twisting eased. Picking up the half-filled glass on the nightstand,

Leiadrankitdown,tryingnottomakeaface.Warmmilkwasprettyfardown

onherlistoffavoritedrinks,butithadprovedtobeoneofthefastestwaysto

soothetheseperiodictwingesfromherdigestivetract.Thedoctorshadtoldher

thattheworstofherstomachtroublesshouldbegindisappearinganydaynow.

Shehopedratherferventlythattheywereright.

Faintly,fromthenextroom,camethesoundoffootsteps.Quickly,Leiaslapped

theglassbackonthenightstandwithonehandasshehauledtheblanketsupto

herchinwiththeother.Thebedsidelightwasstillglowing,andshereachedout

withtheForcetotryandturnitoff.

Thelampdidn'tevenflicker.Grittingherteeth,shetriedagain;again,itdidn't

work.StillnotenoughfinecontrolovertheForce,obviously,forsomethingas

smallasalightswitch.Untanglingherselffromtheblankets,shetriedtomakea

lungeforit.

Acrosstheroom,thesidedooropenedtorevealatallwomaninadressingrobe.

"Your Highness?" she called softly, brushing her shimmering white hair back

fromhereyes."Areyouallright?"

Leia sighed and gave up. "Come on in, Winter. How long have you been

listeningatthedoor?"

"I haven't been listening," Winter said as she glided into the room, sounding

almost offended that Leia would even suggest such a thing of her. "I saw the

lightcomingfromunderyourdoorandthoughtyoumightneedsomething."

"I'mfine,"Leiaassuredher,wonderingifthiswomanwouldeverceasetoamaze

her.Awakenedinthemiddleofthenight,dressedinanoldrobewithherhairin

totaldisarray,WinterstilllookedmoreregalthanLeiaherselfcouldmanageon

herbestdays.She'dlosttrackofthenumberoftimeswhen,aschildrentogether

on Alderaan, some visitor to the Viceroy's court had automatically assumed

Winterwas,infact,thePrincessLeia.

Winter had probably not lost track, of course. Anyone who could remember

wholeconversationsverbatimshouldcertainlybeabletoreconstructthenumber

oftimesshe'dbeenmistakenforaroyalprincess.

Leia had often wondered what the rest of the Provisional Council members

would think if they knew that the silent assistant sitting beside her at official

meetings or standing beside her at unofficial corridor conversations was

effectively recording every word they said. Some of them, she suspected,

wouldn'tlikeitatall.

"Can I get you some more milk, Your Highness?" Winter asked. "Or some

crackers?"

"No,thankyou,"Leiashookherhead."Mystomachisn'treallybotheringmeat

themoment.It's...well,youknow.It'sLuke."

Winternodded."Samethingthat'sbeenbotheringhimforthepastnineweeks?"

Leiafrowned."Hasitbeenthatlong?"

Winter shrugged. "You've been busy," she said with her usual knack for

diplomacy.

"Tellmeaboutit,"Leiasaiddryly."Idon'tknow,Winter—Ireallydon't.Hetold

ThreepiothathemissesBenKenobi,butIcantellthat'snotallofit."

"Perhapsithassomethingtodowithyourpregnancy,"Wintersuggested."Nine

weeksagowouldputitjustaboutright."

"Yes, I know," Leia agreed. "But that's also about the time Mon Mothma and

AdmiralAckbarwerepushingtomovethegovernmentseatheretoCoruscant.

Alsoaboutthetimewestartedgettingthosereportsfromtheborderlandsabout

somemysterious tacticalgenius havingtaken commandof theImperialFleet."

Sheheldherhandsout,palmsupward."Takeyourpick."

"I suppose you'll just have to wait until he's ready to talk to you." Winter

considered. "Perhaps Captain Solo will be able to draw him out when he

returns."

Leiasqueezedthumbandforefingertogether,awaveof anger-filledloneliness

sweeping over her. For Han to have gone out on yet another of these stupid

contact missions, leaving her all alone— The flash of anger disappeared,

dissolving into guilt. Yes, Han was gone again;but even when he was here it

seemedsometimesliketheyhardlysaweachother.Withmoreandmoreofher

timebeingeatenupbytheenormoustaskofsettingupanewgovernment,there

weredayswhenshebarelyhadtimetoeat,letaloneseeherhusband.

But that's my job, she reminded herself firmly; and it was a job that,

unfortunately,onlyshecoulddo.

Unlike virtually all the others in theAlliance hierarchy, she had had extensive

traininginboththetheoryandthemorepracticalaspectsofpolitics.She'dgrown

up in the Royal House of Alderaan, learning about systemwide rule from her

foster father—learning it so well that while still in her teens she was already

representinghimintheImperialSenate.Withoutherexpertise,thiswholething

could easily collapse, particularly in these critical early stages of

theNewRepublic'sdevelopment.Afewmoremonths—justafewmoremonths

—andshe'dbeabletoeaseoffalittle.She'dmakeitalluptoHanthen.

Theguiltfaded.Butthelonelinessremained.

"Maybe," she told Winter. "In the meantime, we'd better both get some sleep.

Wehaveabusydaytomorrow."

Winterarched hereyebrows slightly."There's anotherkind?" sheasked witha

touchofLeia'searlierdryness.

"Now, now," Leia admonished, mock-seriously. "You're far too young to

becomeacynic.Imeanit,now—offtobedwithyou."

"You'resureyoudon'tneedanythingfirst?"

"I'msure.Goon,scat."

"Allright.Goodnight,YourHighness."

Sheglidedout,closingthedoorbehindher.Slidingdownflatontothebed,Leia

readjusted the blankets over her and shifted the pillows into a more or less

comfortableposition."Goodnighttoyoutwo,too,"

she said softly to her babies, giving her belly another gentle rub. Han had

suggested more than once that anyone who talked to her own stomach was

slightly nuts. But then, she suspected that Han secretly believed everyone was

slightlynuts.

Shemissedhimterribly.

With a sigh, she reached over to the nightstand and turned off the light.

Eventually,shefellasleep.



Aquarterofthewayacrossthegalaxy,HanSolosippedathismugandsurveyed

the semiorganized chaos flowing all around him. Didn't we, he quoted to

himself,justleavethisparty?

Still,itwasnicetoknowthat,inagalaxybusilyturningitselfupsidedown,there

were some things that never changed. The band playing off in the corner was

different, andtheupholstery in the booth was noticeably lesscomfortable;but

apartfromthat,theMosEisleycantinalookedexactlythesameasitalwayshad

before. The same as it had looked the day he'd first met Luke Skywalker and

Obi-wanKenobi.

Itfeltlikeadozenlifetimesago.

Beside him, Chewbacca growled softly. "Don't worry, he'll be here," Han told

him. "It's just Dravis. I don't think he's ever been on time for anything in his

wholelife."

Slowly,he lethis eyesdriftoverthecrowd. No,he amendedto himself,there

was one other thing different about the cantina: virtually none of the other

smugglers who had once frequented the place were anywhere to be seen.

Whoever had taken over what was left of Jabba the Hutt's organization must

havemovedoperationsoffTatooine.Turningtopeertowardthecantina'sback

door,hemadeamentalnotetoaskDravisaboutit.

Hewasstillgazingofftothesidewhenashadowfellacrossthetable."Hello,

Solo,"asnickeringvoicesaid.

Hangavehimselfathree-countbeforeturningcasuallytofacethevoice."Well,

hello,Dravis,"henodded."Longtimenosee.Haveaseat."

"Sure,"Dravissaidwithagrin."SoonasyouandChewiebothputyourhands

onthetable."

Hangavehimaninjuredlook."Oh,comeon,"hesaid,reachinguptocradlehis

mugwithbothhands.

"You think I'd invite you all the way here just to shoot at you? We're old

buddies,remember?"

"Sureweare,"Dravissaid,throwingChewbaccaanappraisingglanceashesat

down."Oratleastweusedtobe.ButIhearyou'vegonerespectable."

Hanshruggedeloquently."Respectable'ssuchavagueword.

Dravis cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, well, then let's be specific," he said

sardonically."IhearyoujoinedtheRebelAlliance,gotmadeageneral,married

aformerAlderaanianprincess,andgotyourselfasetoftwinsontheway."

Hanwavedaself-deprecatinghand."Actually,Iresignedthegeneralpartafew

monthsback."

Dravissnorted."Forgiveme.Sowhat'sallthisabout?Somekindofwarning?"

Hanfrowned."Whatdoyoumean?"

"Don't play innocent, Solo," Dravissaid,thebantergonefromhistone."New

RepublicreplacesEmpire—allfineandsweetanddandy,butyouknowaswell

asIdothatit'sallthesametosmugglers.

Soifthisisanofficialinvitationtoceaseanddesistourbusinessactivities,let

melaughinyourfaceandgetoutofhere."Hestartedtogetup.

"It'snothinglikethat,"Hantoldhim."Asamatteroffact,Iwashopingtohire

you."

Dravisfroze,halfwayup."What?"heaskedwarily.

"Youheardright,"Hansaid."We'relookingtohiresmugglers."

Slowly,Dravissatbackdown."Isthissomethingtodowithyourfightwiththe

Empire?"hedemanded.

"Becauseifitis—"

"Itisn't,"Hanassuredhim."There'sawholespielthatgoesalongwiththis,but

what it boils down to is that theNewRepublic is short of cargo ships at the

moment,nottomentionexperiencedcargoshippilots.

If you'relookingto earn some quick and honestmoney,this would be a good

timetodoit."

"Uh-huh."Dravisleanedbackinhischair,drapinganarmovertheseatbackas

heeyedHansuspiciously."Sowhat'sthecatch?"

Hanshookhishead."Nocatch.Weneedshipsandpilotstogetinterstellartrade

goingagain.You'vegot'em.That'sallthereistoit."

Dravis seemed to think it over. "So why work for you and your pittance

directly?"hedemanded. "Why can't wejustsmuggle the stuffandmake more

pertrip?"

"Youcoulddothat,"Hanconceded."Butonlyifyourcustomershadtopaythe

kindoftariffsthatwouldmakehiringsmugglersworthwhile.Inthiscase—"he

smiled"—theywon't."

Dravis glared at him. "Oh, come on , Solo. A brand-new government, hard-

pressed like crazy for cash—and you want me to believe they won't be piling

tariffsontopofeachother?"

"Believe anything you want," Han said, letting his own tone go frosty. "Go

aheadandtryit,too.Butwhenyou'reconvinced,givemeacall."

Dravis chewed at the inside of his cheek, his eyes never leaving Han's. "You

know, Solo," he said thoughtfully, "I wouldn't have come if I didn't trust you.

Well,maybeIwascurious,too,toseewhatscamyouwerepulling.AndImight

bewillingtobelieveyouonthis,atleastenoughtocheckitoutmyself.ButI'll

tellyourightupfrontthatalotofothersinmygroupwon't."

"Whynot?"

"Becauseyou'vegonerespectable,that'swhy.Oh,don'tgivemethathurtlook—

thesimplefactisthatyou'vebeenoutofthebusinesstoolongtoevenremember

whatit'slike.Profitsarewhatdrivesasmuggler,Solo.Profitsandexcitement."

"So what are you going to do instead, operate in the Imperial sectors?" Han

countered,tryinghardtorememberallthoselessonsindiplomacythatLeiahad

givenhim.

Dravisshrugged."Itpays,"hesaidsimply.

"Fornow,maybe,"Hanremindedhim."Buttheirterritory'sbeenshrinkingfor

fiveyearsstraight,andit'sgoingtokeepgettingsmaller.We'rejustaboutevenly

gunned now, you know, and our people are more motivated and a lot better

trainedthantheirs."

"Maybe."Draviscockedaneyebrow."Butmaybenot.Ihearrumorsthatthere's

someone new in charge out there. Someone who's been giving you a lot of

trouble—likeintheObroa-skaisystem,forinstance?IhearyoulostanElomin

taskforceouttherejustalittlewhileago.Awfullysloppy,losingawholetask

forcelikethat."

Hangrittedhisteeth."Justrememberthatanybodywhogivesustroubleisgoing

togiveyoutrouble,too."

Heleveledafingerattheother."AndifyouthinktheNewRepublicishungryfor

cash,thinkofhowhungrytheEmpiremustberightnow."

"It'scertainlyan adventure,"Dravis agreed easily,getting tohisfeet. "Well,it

reallywasniceseeingyouagain,Solo,butIgottago.Sayhitoyourprincessfor

me."

Hansighed."Justgiveyourpeopleouroffer,okay?"

"Oh,Iwill.Mightevenbesomewho'lltakeyouuponit.Younevercantell."

Hannodded.Itwas,really,allhecouldhaveexpectedoutofthismeeting."One

otherthing,Dravis.

WhoexactlyisthebigfishinthepondnowthatJabba'sgone?"

Dravis eyed him thoughtfully. "Well... I guess it's not really a secret," he

decided. "Mind you, there aren't any really official numbers. But if I were

betting,I'dputmymoneyonTalonKarrde."

Hanfrowned.He'dheardofKarrde,ofcourse,butneverwithanyhintthathis

organizationwaseveninthetopten,letalonetheoneontop.EitherDraviswas

wrong,or Karrdewasthetypewho believedinkeeping alow profile."Where

canIfindhim?"

Dravissmiledslyly."You'dliketoknowthat,wouldn'tyou?MaybesomedayI'll

tellyou."

"Dravis—"

"Gottago.Seeyouaround,Chewie."

Hestartedtoturn;paused."Oh,bytheway.Youmighttellyourpaloverthere

thathe'sgottobetheworstexcuseforabackupmanI'veeverseen.Justthought

you'dliketoknow."Withanothergrin,heturnedagainandheadedbackintothe

crowd.

Han grimacedas he watched him go. Still,at least Dravis had beenwillingto

turn his back on them as he left. Some of the other smugglers he'd contacted

hadn'teventrustedhimthatfar.Progress,sortof.

Beside him, Chewbacca growled something derogatory. "Well, what do you

expect with Admiral Ackbar sitting on the Council?" Han shrugged. "The

Calamariansweredeathonsmugglersevenbeforethewar,andeveryoneknows

it.Don'tworry,they'llcomearound.Someofthem,anyway.Draviscanblather

allhewantsaboutprofitandexcitement;butyouofferthemsecuremaintenance

facilities,noJabba-styleskimming,andnooneshootingatthem,andthey'llget

interested.Comeon,let'sgetgoing."

Heslidoutoftheboothandheadedforthebarandtheexitjustvisiblebeyondit.

Halfway across, he stopped at one of the other booths and looked down at its

loneoccupant."I'vegotamessageforyou,"

he announced. "I'm supposed to tell you that you're the worst excuse for a

backupmanthatDravishaseverseen."

WedgeAntillesgrinnedupathimasheslidoutfrombehindthetable."Ithought

thatwasthewholeidea,"hesaid,runninghisfingersthroughhisblackhair.

"Yes,butDravisdidn't."Thoughprivately,Hanwouldbethefirsttoadmitthat

Dravis had a point. As far as he was concerned, the only times Wedge didn't

stickoutlikealumponplateglasswaswhenhewassittinginthecockpitofan

X-wing blasting TIE fighters into dust. "So where's Page, anyway?" he asked,

glancingaround.

"Righthere,sir,"aquietvoicesaidathisshoulder.

Hanturned.Besidethemhadappearedamedium-height,medium-build,totally

nondescript-lookingman.Thekindofmannoonewouldreallynotice;thekind

whocouldblendinvisiblyintoalmostanysurroundings.

Which had, again, been the whole idea. "You see anything suspicious?" Han

askedhim.

Pageshookhishead."Nobackuptroops;noweaponsotherthanhisblaster.This

guymusthavegenuinelytrustedyou."

"Yeah.Progress."Hantookonelastlookaround."Let'sgetgoing.We'regoing

to belateenough back to Coruscant as itis.And I want to swing through the

Obroa-skaisystemontheway."

"ThatmissingElomintaskforce?"Wedgeasked.

"Yeah,"Hansaidgrimly."Iwanttoseeifthey'vefiguredoutwhathappenedto

ityet.Andifwe'relucky,maybegetsomeideaofwhodidittothem."

Chapter3

Thefold-outtableinhisprivateofficewasset,thefoodwasreadytoserve,and

Talon Karrde was just pouring the wine when the tap came on his door. As

always,histimingwasperfect."Mara?"hecalled.

"Yes,"theyoungwoman'svoiceconfirmedthroughthedoor."Youaskedmeto

joinyoufordinner."

"Yes.Pleasecomein."

Thedoorslidopen,andwithherusualcatlikegraceMaraJadewalkedintothe

room."Youdidn'tsaywhat—"hergreeneyesflickedtotheelaboratelysettable

"—thiswasallabout,"shefinished,hertonejustnoticeablydifferent.Thegreen

eyescamebacktohim,coolandmeasuring.

"No, it's not what you're thinking," Karrde assured her, motioning her to the

chairoppositehis."Thisisabusinessmeal—nomore,noless."

Frombehindhisdeskcameasoundhalfwaybetweenacackleandapurr."That's

right,Drang—abusinessmeal,"Karrdesaid,turningtowardthesound."Come

on,outwithyou."

Thevornskrpeeredoutfromaroundtheedgeofthedesk,itsfrontpawsgripping

thecarpet,itsmuzzleclosetothefloorasifonthehunt."Isaidoutwithyou,"

Karrderepeatedfirmly,pointingtowardtheopendoorbehindMara."Comeon,

yourdishhasbeensetupinthekitchen.Sturm'salreadythere—chancesarehe's

eatenhalfyoursupperbynow."

Reluctantly,Drang slunk outfrombehind thedesk,cackle/purring forlornlyto

himself as he padded toward the door. Don't give me that poor-little-me act,"

Karrdechided,pickingapieceofbraisedbruallkifromtheservingdish."Here—

thisshouldcheeryouup."

He tossed the food in the general direction of the doorway. Drang's lethargy

vanished in a single coiled-spring leap as he snagged the mouthful in midair.

"There,"Karrdecalledafterhim."Nowgoandenjoyyoursupper."

The vornskr trotted out. "All right," Karrde said, shifting his attention back to

Mara."Wherewerewe?"

"Youweretellingmethiswasabusinessmeal,"shesaid,hervoicestillalittle

cool as she slid into the seat across from his and surveyed the table. "It's

certainlythenicestbusinessmealI'vehadinquiteawhile."

"Well, that's the point, really," Karrde told her, sitting down himself and

reachingovertotheservingtray.

"Ithinkit'soccasionallygoodforustorememberthatbeingasmugglerdoesn't

necessarilyrequireonetobeabarbarian,too."

"Ah,"shenodded,sippingatherwine."AndI'msuremostofyourpeopleareso

verygratefulforthatreminder."

Karrde smiled. So much, he thought, for the unusual setting and scenario

throwingheroffbalance.Heshouldhaveknownthatparticulargambitwouldn't

workonsomeonelikeMara."Itdoesoftenmakeforaninterestingevening,"he

agreed."Particularly—"heeyedher"—whendiscussingapromotion."

Aflickerofsurprise,almosttoofasttosee,crossedherface."Apromotion?"she

echoedcarefully.

"Yes,"hesaid,scoopingaservingofbruallkiontoherplateandsettingitinfront

ofher."Yours,tobeprecise."

The wary look was back in her eyes. "I've only been with the group for six

months,youknow."

"Five and a half, actually," he corrected her. "But time has never been as

importanttotheuniverseasabilityandresults...andyourabilityandresultshave

beenquiteimpressive."

She shrugged, her red-gold hair shimmering with the movement. "I've been

lucky,"shesaid.

"Luckiscertainlypartofit,"heagreed."Ontheotherhand,I'vefoundthatwhat

most people call luck is often little more than raw talent combined with the

abilitytomakethemostofopportunities."

He turned back to the bruallki, dished some onto his own plate. "Then there's

yourtalentforstarshippiloting,yourabilitytobothgiveandacceptorders—"he

smiledslightly,gesturingtothetable"—andyourabilitytoadapttounusualand

unexpectedsituations.Allhighlyusefultalentsforasmuggler."

Hepaused,butsheremainedsilent.Evidently,somewhereinherpastshe'dalso

learned when not to ask questions. Another useful talent. "The bottom line,

Mara,isthatyou'resimplytoovaluabletowasteasabackuporevenasaline

operator," he concluded. "What I'd like to do is to start grooming you toward

eventuallybecomingmysecondincommand."

Therewas nochance ofmistakinghersurprisethistime.Thegreeneyes went

momentarily wide, and then narrowed. "What exactly would my new duties

consistof?"sheasked.

"Travelingwithme,mostly,"hesaid,takingasipofwine."Watchingmesetup

new business, meetingwithsomeof our long-term customers so that they can

gettoknowyou—thatsortofthing."

She was still suspicious—he could tell that from her eyes. Suspicious that the

offerwasasmokescreentomasksomemorepersonalrequestordemandonhis

part. "You don't have to answer now," he told her. "Think about it, or talk to

some of the others who've been with the organization longer." He looked her

straightintheeye."They'lltellyouthatIdon'tlietomypeople."

Herliptwisted."SoI'veheard,"shesaid,hervoicegoingnoncommittalagain.

"Butbearinmindthatifyougivemethatkindofauthority,Iamgoingtouseit.

There'ssomerevampingofthewholeorganizationalstructure—"

Shebrokeoffastheintercomonhisdeskwarbled."Yes?"Karrdecalledtoward

it.

"It's Aves," a voicesaid."Thoughtyou'dliketo know we've got company: an

ImperialStarDestroyerjustmadeorbit."

Karrdeglancedat Maraashegottohisfeet."Anymakeonityet?"heasked,

droppinghisnapkinbesidehisplateandsteppingaroundthedesktowherehe

couldseethescreen.

"They're not exactly broadcasting ID sigs these days," Aves shook his head.

"Theletteringonthesideishardtoreadatthisdistance,butTorve'sbestguessis

thatit'stheChimaera."

"Interesting," Karrde murmured. Grand Admiral Thrawn himself. "Have they

madeanytransmissions?"

"Nonethatwe'vepickedup—waitaminute.Lookslike...yes—they'relaunching

a shuttle. Make that two shuttles. Projected landing point..." Aves frowned at

somethingoffscreenforamoment."Projectedlandingpointsomewhereherein

theforest."

Outofthecornerofhiseyes,KarrdesawMarastiffenabit."Notinanyofthe

citiesaroundtheedge?"

heaskedAves.

"No,it'sdefinitelytheforest.Nomorethanfiftykilometersfromhere,either."

Karrde rubbed his forefinger gently across his lower lip, considering the

possibilities."Stillonlytwoshuttles?"

"That'sallsofar."Aves wasstartingtolookalittlenervous."ShouldIcallan

alert?"

"Onthecontrary.Let'sseeiftheyneedanyhelp.Givemeahailingchannel."

Avesopened hismouth;closed itagain. "Okay,"he said,takinga deepbreath

andtappingsomethingoffscreen."Youhavehailing."

"Thankyou.ImperialStarDestroyerChimaera,thisisTalonKarrde.MayIbe

ofanyassistancetoyou?"

"No response," Aves muttered. "You think maybe they didn't want to be

noticed?"

"Ifyoudon'twanttobenoticed,youdon'tuseaStarDestroyer,"Karrdepointed

out."No,they'remostlikelybusyrunningmynamethroughship'srecords.Be

interestingtoseesomedayjustwhattheyhaveonme.Ifanything."Hecleared

histhroat."StarDestroyerChimaera,thisis—"

Abruptly, Aves's face was replaced by that of a middle-aged man wearing a

captain's insignia. "This is Captain Pellaeon of the Chimaera ," he said

brusquely."Whatisityouwant?"

"Merely to be neighborly," Karrde told him evenly. "We track two of your

shuttles coming down, and wondered if you or Grand Admiral Thrawn might

requireanyassistance."

TheskinaroundPellaeon'seyestightened,justabit."Who?"

"Ah," Karrde nodded, allowing a slight smile. "Of course. I haven't heard of

GrandAdmiralThrawn,either.CertainlynotinconnectionwiththeChimaera.

Or with some intriguing information raids on several systems in the

Paonnid/Obroa-skairegion,either."

The eyes tightened a little more. "You're very well informed, Mr. Karrde,"

Pellaeon said, his voice silky but with menace lurking beneath it. "One might

wonderhowalowlysmugglerwouldcomebysuchinformation."

Karrdeshrugged."Mypeoplehearstoriesandrumors;Itakethepiecesandput

them together. Much the same way your own intelligence units operate, I

imagine.Incidentally,ifyourshuttlesareplanningtoputdownintheforest,you

need to warn the crews to be careful. There are several dangerous predator

specieslivinghere, and the highmetalcontent of thevegetationmakes sensor

readingsunreliableatbest."

"Thankyoufortheadvice,"Pellaeonsaid,hisvoicestillfrosty."Buttheywon't

bestayinglong."

"Ah," Karrde nodded, running the possibilities through his mind. There were,

fortunately,notallthatmanyofthem."Doingalittlehunting,arethey?"

Pellaeonfavoredhimwithaslightlyindulgentsmile."InformationonImperial

activitiesisveryexpensive.

I'dhavethoughtamaninyourlineofworkwouldknowthat."

"Indeed,"Karrdeagreed,watchingtheotherclosely."Butoccasionallyonefinds

bargains.It'stheysalamiriyou'reafter,isn'tit?"

Theother'ssmilefroze."Therearenobargainstobehadhere,Karrde,"hesaid

afteramoment,hisvoiceverysoft."Andexpensivecanalsomeancostly."

"True," Karrde said. "Unless, of course, it's traded for something equally

valuable. I presume you're already familiar with the ysalamiri's rather unique

characteristics—otherwise, you wouldn't be here. Can I assume you're also

familiar with the somewhat esoteric art of safely getting them off their tree

branches?"

Pellaeon studied him, suspicion all over his face. "I was under the impression

thatysalamiriwerenomorethanfiftycentimeterslongandnotpredatory."

"Iwasn'treferringtoyoursafety,Captain,"Karrdetoldhim.Imeanttheirs.You

can'tjustpullthemofftheirbranches,notwithoutkillingthem.Anysalamirin

this stage is sessile—its claws have elongated to the point where they've

essentiallygrowndirectlyintothecoreofthebranchitinhabits."

"Andyou,Isuppose,knowtheproperwaytodoit?"

"Someofmypeopledo,yes,"Karrdetoldhim."Ifyou'dlike,Icouldsendoneof

them to rendezvous withyourshuttles.Thetechnique involved isn't especially

difficult,butitreallydoeshavetobedemonstrated."

"Of course," Pellaeon said, heavily sardonic. "And the fee for this esoteric

demonstration...?"

"Nofee,Captain.AsIsaidearlier,we'rejustbeingneighborly."

Pellaeon cocked his head slightly to one side. "Your generosity will be

remembered."ForamomentheheldKarrde'sgaze;andtherewasnomistaking

the twin-edged meaning to the words. If Karrde was planning some sort of

betrayal, it too would be remembered. "I'll signal my shuttles to expect your

expert."

"He'llbethere.Goodbye,Captain."

Pellaeonreachedforsomethingoff-camera,andonceagainAve'sfacereplaced

hisonthescreen."Yougetallthat?"Karrdeaskedtheother.

Avesnodded."DankinandChinarealreadywarminguponeoftheSkiprays."

"Good.Havethemleaveanopentransmission;andI'llwanttoseethemassoon

asthey'reback."

"Right."Thedisplayclickedoff.

Karrdesteppedawayfromthedesk,glancedonceatMara,andreseatedhimself

atthetable."Sorryfortheinterruption,"hesaidconversationally,watchingher

outofthecornerofhiseyeashepouredhimselfsomemorewine.

Slowly,thegreeneyescame backfrominfinity;andas shelookedathim,the

musclesofherfaceeasedfromtheirdeathlikerigidness."Youreallynotgoingto

chargethemforthis?"sheasked,reachingaslightlyunsteadyhandforherown

wine."They'dcertainlymakeyoupayifyouwantedsomething.That'saboutall

theEmpirereallycaresaboutthesedays,money."

Heshrugged."Wegettohaveourpeoplewatchingthemfromthemomentthey

setdowntothemomenttheyliftoff.Thatseemsanadequatefeetome."

She studied him. "You don't believe they're here just to pick up ysalamiri, do

you?"

"Notreally."Karrdetookabiteofhisbruallki."Atleast,notunlessthere'sause

forthethingsthatwedon'tknowabout.Comingallthewayoutheretocollect

ysalamiriisabitofanoverkilltouseagainstasingleJedi."

Mara's eyes again drifted away. "Maybe it's not Skywalker they're after," she

murmured."Maybethey'vefoundsomemoreJedi."

"Seemsunlikely,"Karrdesaid,watchingherclosely.Theemotioninhervoice

when she'd said Luke Skywalker's name... "The Emperor supposedly made a

cleansweepofthemintheearlydaysoftheNewOrder.Unless,"headdedas

anotherthoughtoccurredtohim,"they'veperhapsfoundDarthVader."

"VaderdiedontheDeathStar,"Marasaid."AlongwiththeEmperor."

"That'sthestory,certainly—"

"Hediedthere,"Maracuthimoff,hervoicesuddenlysharp.

"Ofcourse,"Karrdenodded.Ithadtakenhimfivemonthsofcloseobservation,

buthe'dfinallypinneddownthehandfulofsubjectsguaranteedtotriggerstrong

responsesfromthewoman.ThelateEmperorwasamongthem,aswasthepre-

EndorEmpire.

AndattheoppositeendoftheemotionalspectrumwasLukeSkywalker."Still,"

hecontinuedthoughtfully, "ifaGrand Admiralthinkshehasagoodreasonto

carryysalamiriaboardhisships,wemightdowelltofollowhislead."

Abruptly,Mara'seyesfocusedonhimagain."Whatfor?"shedemanded.

"Asimpleprecaution,"Karrdesaid."Whysovehement?"

Hewatchedasshefoughtabriefinternalbattle."Itseemslikeawasteoftime,"

she said. "Thrawn's probably just jumping at shadows. Anyway, how are you

goingto keepysalamiri aliveon aship withouttransplanting sometrees along

withthem?"

"I'msureThrawnhassomeideasastothemechanicsofit,"Karrdeassuredher.

"DankinandChinwillknowhowtopokearoundfordetails."

Her eyes seemed strangely hooded. "Yes," she muttered, her voice conceding

defeat."I'msuretheywill."

"And in the meantime," Karrde said, pretending not to notice, "we still have

businesstodiscuss.AsIrecall,youweregoingtolistsomeimprovementsyou

wouldmakeintheorganization."

"Yes."Maratookanotherdeepbreath,closinghereyes...andwhensheopened

themagainshewasbacktoherusualcoolself."Yes.Well—"

Slowlyatfirst,butwithever-increasingconfidence,shelaunchedintoadetailed

and generally insightful compendium of his group's shortcomings. Karrde

listenedcloselyasheate,wonderingagainatthehiddentalentsofthiswoman.

Someday,hepromised himself silently, hewasgoing to find a waytodig the

details of her past out from under the cloak of secrecy she'd so carefully

shroudeditwith.Tofindoutwhereshe'dcomefrom,andwhoandwhatshewas.

And to learn exactly what it was Luke Skywalker had done to make her so

desperatelyhatehim.

Chapter4

IttooktheChimaeranearlyfivedaysatitsPointFourcruisingspeedtocover

thethreehundredfiftylight-yearsbetweenMyrkrandWayland.Butthatwasall

right,becauseittooktheengineersnearlythatlongtocomeupwithaportable

framethatwouldbothsupportandnourishtheysalamiri.

"I'mstillnotconvincedthisisreallynecessary,"Pellaeongrumbled,eyeingwith

distastethethickcurvedpipeandthefurscaled,salamanderlikecreatureattached

toit.Thepipeanditsattachedframewereblastedheavy,andthecreatureitself

didn'tsmellallthatgood."IfthisGuardianyou'reexpectingwasputonWayland

by the Emperor in the first place, then I don't see why we should have any

problemswithhim."

"Call it a precaution, Captain," Thrawn said, settling into the shuttle's copilot

seat and fastening his own straps. "It's conceivable we could have trouble

convincinghimofwhoweare.OreventhatwestillservetheEmpire."Hesenta

casualglanceacrossthedisplaysandnoddedtothepilot."Go."

Therewasamuffledclank,andwithaslightjolttheshuttledroppedfromthe

Chimera's docking bayandstarted itsdescenttoward theplanetsurface. "We

might have had an easier time convincing him with a squad of stormtroopers

along,"Pellaeonmuttered,watchingtherepeaterdisplaybesidehisseat.

"Wemightalsohaveirritatedhim,"Thrawnpointedout.ADarkJedi'sprideand

sensibilitiesarenottobetakenlightly,Captain.Besides—"helookedoverhis

shoulder"—that'swhatRukhisfor.AnycloseassociateoftheEmperoroughtto

befamiliarwiththegloriousroletheNoghrihaveplayedovertheyears."

Pellaeon glanced at the silent nightmare figure seated across the aisle. "You

seemcertain,sir,thattheGuardianwillbeaDarkJedi."

"WhoelsewouldtheEmperorhavechosentoprotecthispersonalstorehouse?"

Thrawncountered."Alegionofstormtroopers,perhaps,equippedwithAT-ATs

andthekindofadvancedweaponryandtechnologyyoucoulddetectfromorbit

withyoureyesclosed?"

Pellaeon grimaced. That, at least, was something they wouldn't have to worry

about. The Chimera'sscannershadpickedup nothing beyond bow-and-arrow

stageanywhereonWayland'ssurface.Itwasn'tallthatmuchcomfort."I'mjust

wondering whether the Emperor might have pulled him off Wayland to help

againsttheRebellion."

Thrawnshrugged."We'llknowsoonenough."

The gentle roar of atmospheric friction against the shuttle's hull was growing

louder now, and on Pellaeon's repeater display details of the planet's surface

werebecomingvisible.Muchoftheareadirectlybeneaththemappearedtobe

forest, spotted here and there with large, grassy plains. Ahead, occasionally

visiblethroughthehazeofclouds,asinglemountainroseabovethelandscape.

"IsthatMountTantiss?"heaskedthepilot.

"Yes,sir,"theotherconfirmed."Thecityoughttobevisiblesoon."

"Right."Reachingsurreptitiouslytohisrightthigh,Pellaeonadjustedhisblaster

initsholster.Thrawncouldbeasconfidentasheliked,bothintheysalamiriand

inhisownlogic.Forhispart,Pellaeonstillwishedtheyhadmorefirepower.

ThecitynestledagainstthesouthwesternbaseofMountTantisswaslargerthanit

hadlookedfromorbit,withmanyofitssquatbuildingsextendingdeepunderthe

coverof the surroundingtrees. Thrawnhadthe pilotcircle theareatwice, and

thenputdowninthecenterofwhatappearedtobethemaincitysquare,facinga

largeandimpressivelyregal-lookingbuilding.

"Interesting," Thrawn commented, looking out the viewports as he settled his

ysalamir backpack onto his shoulders. "There are at least three styles of

architectureoutthere—humanplustwodifferentalienspecies.It'snotoftenyou

seesuchdiversityinthesameplanetaryregion,letalonesidebysideinthesame

city.Infact,thatpalacethinginfrontofushasitselfincorporatedelementsfrom

allthreestyles."

"Yes," Pellaeon agreed absently, peering out the viewports himself. At the

moment,thebuildingswereof farlessinteresttohimthanthepeoplethelife-

formsensorssaidwerehidingbehindandinsidethem.

"Anyideawhetherthosealienspeciesarehostiletowardstrangers?"

"Probably," Thrawn said, stepping to the shuttle's exit ramp, where Rukh was

alreadywaiting."Mostalienspeciesare.Shallwego?"

The ramp lowered with a hiss of released gases. Gritting his teeth, Pellaeon

joinedtheothertwo.WithRukhinthelead,theyheadeddown.

Nooneshotatthemastheyreachedthegroundandtookafewstepsawayfrom

the shuttle. Nor did anyone scream, call out, or make any appearance at all.

"Shy, aren't they?" Pellaeon murmured, keeping his hand on his blaster as he

lookedaround.

"Understandably,"Thrawnsaid,pullingamegaphonediskfromhisbelt."Let's

seeifwecanpersuadethemtobehospitable."

Cuppingthediskinhishand,heraisedittohislips."IseektheGuardianofthe

mountain," his voice boomed across the square, the lastsyllableechoing from

thesurroundingbuildings."Whowilltakemetohim?"

Thelastechodiedawayintosilence.Thrawnloweredthediskandwaited;but

the seconds ticked by without any response. "Maybe they don't understand

Basic,"Pellaeonsuggesteddoubtfully.

"No, they understand," Thrawn said coldly. "The humans do, at any rate.

Perhapstheyneedmoremotivation."Heraisedthemegaphoneagain."Iseekthe

Guardian of the mountain," he repeated. "If no one will take me to him, this

entirecitywillsuffer."

The words were barely out of his mouth when, without warning, an arrow

flashedtowardthemfromtheright.ItstruckThrawnintheside,barelymissing

the ysalamir tube wrapped around his shoulders and back, and bounced

harmlessly off the body armor hidden beneath the white uniform. "Hold,"

ThrawnorderedasRukhleapedtohisside,blasterattheready."Youhavethe

location?"

"Yes," the Noghri grated, his blaster pointed at a squat two-story structure a

quarterofthewayaroundthesquarefromthepalace.

"Good."Thrawnraisedthemegaphoneagain."Oneofyourpeoplejustshotat

us. Observe the consequences." Lowering the disk again, he nodded to Rukh.

"Now."

Andwitha tightgrinof his needleteeth, Rukh proceeded—quickly,carefully,

andscientifically—todemolishthebuilding.

Hetookoutthewindowsanddoorsfirst,puttingperhapsadozenshotsthrough

themtodiscourageanyfurtherattack.Thenheswitchedtothelower-floorwalls.

Bythetwentiethshot,thebuildingwasvisiblytremblingonitsfoundations.A

handful of shots into the upper-floor walls, a few more into the lower— And

withathunderouscrash,thebuildingcollapsedinonitself.

Thrawn waited until the sound of crunching masonry had died away before

raisingthemegaphoneagain.

"Thosearetheconsequencesofdefyingme,"hecalled."Iaskoncemore:who

willtakemetotheGuardianofthemountain?"

"Iwill,"avoicesaidfromtheirleft.

Pellaeonspunaround.Themanstandinginfrontofthepalacebuildingwastall

andthin,withunkemptgrayhairandabeardthatreachedalmosttothemiddle

ofhischest.Hewasdressedinshin-lacedsandalsandanoldbrownrobe,witha

glitteringmedallionofsomesorthalfhiddenbehindthebeard.Hisfacewasdark

andlinedandregaltothepointofarroganceashestudiedthem,hiseyesholding

a mixture of curiosity and disdain. "You are strangers," he said, the same

mixture in his voice. "Strangers—" he glanced up at the shuttle towering over

them"—fromoffworld."

"Yes,weare,"Thrawnacknowledged."Andyou?"

Theoldman'seyesflickedtothesmokingrubbleRukhhadjustcreated."You

destroyedoneofmybuildings,"hesaid."Therewasnoneedforthat."

"Wewereattacked,"Thrawntoldhimcoolly."Wereyouitslandlord?"

Thestranger'seyesmighthaveflashed;atthedistance,Pellaeoncouldn'tsayfor

certain."Irule,"hesaid,hisvoicequiethutwithmenacebeneathit."Allthatis

hereismine."

For a handful of heartbeats he and Thrawn locked eyes. Thrawn broke the

silence first."Iam Grand Admiral Thrawn, Warlord of the Empire,servantof

theEmperor.IseektheGuardianofthemountain."

Theoldmanbowedhisheadslightly."Iwilltakeyoutohim."

Turning, he started back toward the palace. "Stay close together," Thrawn

murmuredtotheothersashemovedtofollow."Bealertforatrap."

Nomorearrowscameastheycrossedthesquareandwalkedunderthecarved

keystonearchwayframingthepalace'sdoubledoors."Iwouldhavethoughtthe

Guardianwouldbelivinginthemountain,"

Thrawnsaidastheirguidepulledopenthedoors.Theycameeasily;theoldman,

Pellaeondecided,mustbestrongerthanhelooked.

"He did, once," the other said over his shoulder. "When I began my rule, the

people of Wayland built this for him." He crossed to the center of the ornate

foyerroom,halfwaytoanothersetofdoubledoors,andstopped."Leaveus,"he

called.

ForasplitsecondPellaeonthoughttheoldmanwastalkingtohim.Hewasjust

openinghismouthtorefusewhentwoflankingsectionsofwallswungopenand

apairofscrawnymensteppedoutofhiddenguardniches.Gloweringsilentlyat

theImperials,theyshoulderedtheircrossbowsandleftthebuilding.

Theoldmanwaiteduntiltheyweregone,thencontinuedontothesecondsetof

doubledoors."Come,"

he said, gesturing to the doors, an odd glitter in his eyes. "The Emperor's

Guardianawaitsyou."

Silently,thedoorsswungopen,revealingthelightofwhatlookedtobeseveral

hundred candles filling a huge room. Pellaeon glanced once at the old man

standingbesidethedoors,asuddenpremonitionofdreadsendingashiveruphis

back.Takingadeepbreath,hefollowedThrawnandRukhinside.

Intoacrypt.

Therewasnodoubtastowhatitwas.Asidefromtheflickeringcandles,there

wasnothingelseintheroombutalargerectangularblockofdarkstoneinthe

center.

"Isee,"Thrawnsaidquietly."Soheisdead."

"He is dead," the old man confirmed from behind them. "Do you see all the

candles,GrandAdmiralThrawn?"

"Iseethem,"Thrawnnodded."Thepeoplemusthavehonoredhimgreatly."

"Honoredhim?"Theoldmansnortedgently."Hardly.Thosecandlesmarkthe

gravesofoffworlderswhohavecomeheresincehisdeath."

Pellaeon twisted to face him, instinctively drawing his blaster as he did so.

Thrawn waited another few heartbeats before slowly turning around himself.

"Howdidtheydie?"heasked.

The old man smiled faintly. "I killed them, of course. Just as I killed the

Guardian."Heraisedhisemptyhandsinfrontofhim,palmsupward."JustasI

nowkillyou."

Without warning, blue lightning bolts flashed from his fingertips— And

vanishedwithoutatraceameterawayfromeachofthem.

ItallhappenedsofastthatPellaeonhadnochancetoevenflinch,letalonefire.

Now,belatedly,heraisedhisblaster,thescaldinghotairfromtheboltswashing

overhishand—"Hold,"Thrawnsaidcalmlyintothesilence."However,asyou

cansee,Guardian,wearenotordinaryoffworlders."

"TheGuardianisdead!"theoldmansnapped,thelastwordalmostswallowed

upbythecrackleofmorelightning.Again,theboltsvanishedintonothingness

beforeevencomingclose.

"Yes,theoldGuardianisdead,"Thrawnagreed,shoutingtobeheardoverthe

crackling thunder. "You are the Guardian now. It is you who protects the

Emperor'smountain."

"I serve no Emperor!" the old man retorted, unleashing a third useless salvo.

"Mypowerisformyselfalone."

Assuddenlyasithadstarted,theattackceased.TheoldmanstaredatThrawn,

hishandsstillraised,apuzzledandoddlypetulantexpressiononhisface."You

arenotJedi.Howdoyoudothis?"

"Joinusandlearn,"Thrawnsuggested.

Theotherdrewhimselfuptohisfullheight."IamaJediMaster,"hegroundout.

"Ijoinnoone."

"Isee,"Thrawnnodded."Inthatcase,permitustojoinyou."Hisglowingred

eyes bored into the old man's face. "And permit us to show you how you can

havemorepowerthanyou'veeverimagined.AllthepowerevenaJediMaster

coulddesire."

Fora longmoment theoldmancontinuedtostareat Thrawn,a dozenstrange

expressionsflickinginquicksuccessionacrosshisface."Verywell,"hesaidat

last."Come.Wewilltalk."

"Thankyou,"Thrawnsaid,inclininghisheadslightly."MayIaskwhowehave

thehonorofaddressing?"

"Ofcourse."Theoldman'sfacewasabruptlyregalagain,andwhenhespokehis

voicerangoutinthesilenceofthecrypt."IamtheJediMasterJoruusC'baoth."

Pellaeoninhaledsharply,acoldshiverrunninguphisback."JorusC'baoth?"he

breathed."But—"

Hebrokeoff.C'baothlookedathim,muchasPellaeonhimselfmightlookata

juniorofficerwhohasspokenoutofturn."Come,"herepeated,turningbackto

Thrawn."Wewilltalk."

Heledthewayoutofthecryptandbackintothesunshine.Severalsmallknots

ofpeoplehadgatheredinthesquareintheirabsence,huddlingwellbackfrom

boththecryptandtheshuttleastheywhisperednervouslytogether.

Withoneexception.Standingdirectlyintheirpathafewmetersawaywasone

of the two guards C'baoth had ordered out of the crypt. On his face was an

expression of barely controlled fury; in his hands, cocked and ready, was his

crossbow. "You destroyed his home," C'baoth said, almost conversationally.

"Doubtlesshewouldliketoexactvengeance."

Thewordswerebarelyoutofhismouthwhentheguardsuddenlysnappedthe

crossbowupandfired.

Instinctively,Pellaeonducked,raisinghisblaster—

AndthreemetersfromtheImperialstheboltcametoanabrupthaltinmidair.

Pellaeonstaredatthehoveringpieceofwoodandmetal,hisbrainonlyslowly

catchingupwithwhathadjusthappened."Theyareourguests,"C'baothtoldthe

guardinavoiceclearlyintendedtoreacheveryoneinthesquare."Theywillbe

treatedaccordingly."

With a crackle of splintering wood, the crossbow bolt shattered, the pieces

droppingtotheground.

Slowly,reluctantly,theguardloweredhiscrossbow,hiseyesstillburningwitha

nowimpotentrage.

Thrawnlethimstandthereanothersecondlikethat,thengesturedtoRukh.The

Noghriraisedhisblasterandfired—Andinablurofmotionalmosttoofastto

see,aflatstonedetacheditselffromthegroundandhurleditselfdirectlyintothe

pathoftheshot,shatteringspectacularlyastheblasthitit.

ThrawnspuntofaceC'baoth,hisfaceamirrorofsurpriseand anger."C'baoth

—!"

"Thesearemypeople,GrandAdmiralThrawn,"theothercuthimoff,hisvoice

forgedfromquietsteel.

"Notyours;mine.Ifthereispunishmenttobedealtout,Iwilldoit."

Foralongmomentthetwomenagainlockedeyes.Then,withanobviouseffort,

Thrawnregainedhiscomposure."Ofcourse,MasterC'baoth,"hesaid."Forgive

me."

C'baoth nodded. "Better. Much better." He looked past Thrawn, dismissed the

guardwithanod.

"Come,"hesaid,lookingbackattheGrandAdmiral."Wewilltalk."



"Youwillnow tellme,"C'baothsaid,gesturingthemtolowcushions,"howit

wasyoudefeatedmyattack."

"Letmefirstexplainouroffer,"Thrawnsaid,throwingacasualglancearound

the room before easing carefully down on one of the cushions. Probably,

Pellaeonthought,theGrandAdmiralwasexaminingthebitsofartworkscattered

around."Ibelieveyou'llfindit—"

"Youwillnowtellmehowitwasyoudefeatedmyattack,"C'baothrepeated.

Aslightgrimace,quicklysuppressed,touchedThrawn'slips."It'squitesimple,

actually."Helookedupattheysalamirwrappedaroundhisshoulders,reachinga

fingerovertogentlystrokeitslongneck.

"Thesecreaturesyouseeonourbacksarecalledysalamiri.They'resessiletree-

dwellingcreaturesfromadistant,third-rateplanet,andtheyhaveaninteresting

andpossiblyuniqueability—theypushbacktheForce."

C'baothfrowned."Whatdoyoumean,pushitback?"

"Theypushitspresenceoutawayfromthemselves,"Thrawnexplained."Much

thesamewayabubbleiscreatedbyairpushingoutwardagainstwater.Asingle

ysalamircanoccasionallycreateabubbleaslargeastenmetersacross;awhole

groupofthemreinforcingoneanothercancreatemuchlargerones."

"I've never heard of such a thing," C'baoth said, staring at Thrawn's ysalamir

with an almost childlike intensity. "How could such a creature have come

about?"

"Ireallydon'tknow,"Thrawnconceded."Iassumethetalenthassomesurvival

value,butwhatthatwouldbeIcan'timagine."Hecockedaneyebrow."Notthat

itmatters.Forthemoment,theabilityitselfissufficientformypurpose."

C'baoth'sfacedarkened."Thatpurposebeingtodefeatmypower?"

Thrawn shrugged. "We were expecting to find the Emperor's Guardian here. I

neededtomakecertainhewouldallowustoidentifyourselvesandexplainour

mission." He reached up again to stroke the ysalamir's neck. "Though as it

happens,protectingusfromtheGuardianwasreallyonlyanextrabonus.Ihave

somethingfarmoreinterestinginmindforourlittlepets."

"Thatbeing...?"

Thrawnsmiled."Allingoodtime,MasterC'baoth.Andonlyafterwe'vehada

chancetoexaminetheEmperor'sstorehouseinMountTantiss."

C'baoth'sliptwisted."Sothemountainisallyoureallywant."

"Ineedthemountain,certainly,"Thrawnacknowledged."Orrather,whatIhope

tofindwithinit."

"Andthatis...?"

Thrawnstudiedhimforamoment."Therewererumors,justbeforetheBattleof

Endor,thattheEmperor'sresearchershadfinallydevelopedagenuinelypractical

cloakingshield.I wantit.Also," headded,almostasanafterthought,"another

small—almosttrivial—bitoftechnology."

"Andyouthinktofindoneofthesecloakingshieldsinthemountain?"

"I expect to find either a working model or at least a complete set of

schematics," Thrawn said. "One of the Emperor's purposes in setting up this

storehouse was to make sure that interestingand potentiallyuseful technology

didn'tgetlost."

"That, and collecting endless mementos of his glorious conquests." C'baoth

snorted. "There are rooms and rooms of that sort of cackling self-

congratulation."

Pellaeon sat up a bit straighter. "You've been inside the mountain?" he asked.

Somehow,he'dexpectedthestorehousetobesealedwithallsortsoflocksand

barriers.

C'baothsenthimascornfullypatientlook."OfcourseI'vebeeninside.Ikilled

the Guardian, remember?" He looked back at Thrawn. "So. You want the

Emperor'slittle toys;andnow youknowyou canjustwalk intothe mountain,

withorwithoutmyhelp.Whyareyoustillsittinghere?"

"Because the mountain is only part of what I need," Thrawn told him. "I also

requirethepartnershipofaJediMasterlikeyourself."

C'baothsettledbackintohiscushion,acynicalsmileshowingthroughhisbeard.

"Ah,wefinallygetdowntoit.This,Itakeit,iswhereyouoffermeallthepower

evenaJediMastercoulddesire?"

Thrawn smiled back. "It is indeed. Tell me, Master C'baoth: are you familiar

withtheImperialFleet'sdisastrousdefeatattheBattleofEndorfiveyearsago?"

"I've heard rumors. One of the offworlders who came here spoke about it."

C'baoth's gaze drifted to the window, to the palace/crypt visible across the

square."Thoughonlybriefly."

Pellaeon swallowed. Thrawn himself didn't seem to notice the implication.

"Then you must have wondered how a few dozen Rebel ships could possibly

routanImperialforcethatoutgunneditbyatleasttentoone."

"Ididn'tspendmuchtimewithsuchwonderings,"C'baothsaiddryly."Iassumed

thattheRebelsweresimplybetterwarriors."

"Inasense,that'strue,"Thrawnagreed."TheRebelsdidindeedfightbetter,but

notbecauseofanyspecialabilitiesortraining.TheyfoughtbetterthantheFleet

becausetheEmperorwasdead."

HeturnedtolookatPellaeon."Youwerethere,Captain—youmusthavenoticed

it.Thesuddenlossofcoordinationbetweencrewmembersandships;thelossof

efficiency and discipline. The loss, in short, of that elusive quality we call

fightingspirit."

"There was some confusion, yes," Pellaeon said stiffly. He was starting to see

whereThrawnwasgoingwiththis,andhedidn'tlikeitabit."Butnothingthat

can'tbeexplainedbythenormalstressesofbattle."

Oneblue-blackeyebrowwentup,justslightly."Really?ThelossoftheExecutor

—the sudden, last-minute TIE fighter incompetence that brought about the

destruction of the Death Star itself—the loss of six other Star Destroyers in

engagementsthatnoneofthemshouldhavehadtroublewith?Allofthatnothing

butnormalbattlestress?"

"The Emperor was not directing the battle," Pellaeon snapped with a fire that

startledhim."Notinanyway.Iwasthere,Admiral—Iknow."

"Yes,Captain,youwerethere,"Thrawnsaid,hisvoiceabruptlyhard."Andit's

timeyou gaveup yourblindfoldandfacedthetruth,no matterhow bitteryou

findit.Youhadnorealfightingspiritofyourownanymore—noneofyouinthe

ImperialFleetdid.ItwastheEmperor'swillthatdroveyou;theEmperor'smind

that provided you with strength and resolve and efficiency. You were as

dependent on that presence as if you were all borg-implanted into a combat

computer."

"That'snottrue,"Pellaeonshotback,stomachtwistingpainfullywithinhim."It

can'tbe.Wefoughtonafterhisdeath."

"Yes," Thrawn said, his voice quiet and contemptuous. "You fought on. Like

cadets."

C'baothsnorted."Soisthiswhatyouwantmefor,GrandAdmiralThrawn?"he

askedscornfully."Toturnyourshipsintopuppetsforyou?"

"Not atall,Master C'baoth," Thrawn told him, hisvoiceperfectlycalm again.

"My analogy with combat borg implants was a carefully considered one. The

Emperor's fatal error was in seeking to control the entire Imperial Fleet

personally,ascompletelyandconstantlyaspossible.That,overthelongrun,is

whatdidthedamage.Mywishismerelytohaveyouenhancethecoordination

betweenshipsandtaskforces—andthenonlyat criticaltimesand incarefully

selectedcombatsituations."

C'baoththrewalookatPellaeon."Towhatend?"herumbled.

"Totheendwe'vealreadydiscussed,"Thrawnsaid."Power."

"Whatsortofpower?"

Forthefirsttimesincelanding,Thrawnseemedtakenaback."Theconqueringof

worlds,ofcourse.ThefinaldefeatoftheRebellion.Thereestablishmentofthe

glorythatwasoncetheEmpire'sNewOrder."

C'baothshookhishead."Youdon'tunderstandpower,GrandAdmiralThrawn.

Conquering worlds you'll never even visit again isn't power. Neither is

destroyingshipsand peopleandrebellionsyou haven'tlookedatface-to-face."

Hewavedhishandsinasweepinggesturearoundhim,hiseyesglitteringwith

aneeriefire."This,GrandAdmiralThrawn,ispower.Thiscity—thisplanet—

thesepeople.Everyhuman,Psadan,andMyneyrshwholiveherearemine.Mine

." His gaze drifted to the window again. "I teach them. I command them. I

punishthem.Theirlives,andtheirdeaths,areinmyhand."

"WhichispreciselywhatIofferyou,"Thrawnsaid."Millionsoflives—billions,

ifyouwish.Allthoselivestodowithasyouplease."

"Itisn'tthesame,"C'baothsaid,anoteofpaternalpatienceinhisvoice."Ihave

nodesiretoholddistantpoweroverfacelesslives."

"Youcouldhavejustasinglecitytorule,then,"Thrawnpersisted."Aslargeor

assmallasyouwish."

"Iruleacitynow."

Thrawn's eyes narrowed. "I need your assistance, Master C'baoth. Name your

price."

C'baoth smiled. "My price? The price for my service?" Abruptly, the smile

vanished. "I'm a Jedi Master, Grand Admiral Thrawn," he said, his voice

simmeringwithmenace."NotamercenaryforhirelikeyourNoghri."

HethrewacontemptuouslookatRukh,sittingsilentlyofftooneside."Oh,yes,

Noghri—I know what you and your people are. The Emperor's private Death

Commandos;killinganddyingatthewhimofambitiousmenlikeDarthVader

andtheGrandAdmiralhere."

"Lord Vader served the Emperor and the Empire," Rukh grated,hisdark eyes

staringunblinkinglyatC'baoth."Asdowe."

"Perhaps." C'baoth turned back to Thrawn. "I have all I want or need, Grand

AdmiralThrawn.YouwillleaveWaylandnow."

Thrawn didn't move. "I need your assistance, Master C'baoth," he repeated

quietly."AndIwillhaveit."

"Or you'll do what?" C'baoth sneered. "Have your Noghri try to kill me? It

wouldalmostbeamusingtowatch."HelookedatPellaeon."Orperhapsyou'll

haveyour braveStarDestroyercaptaintrytolevelmycity fromorbit. Except

thatyoucan'triskdamagingthemountain,canyou?"

"My gunners could destroy this city without even singeing the grass

onMountTantiss,"Pellaeonretorted.

"Ifyouneedademonstration—"

"Peace,Captain,"Thrawncuthimoffcalmly."Soit'sthepersonal,face-to-face

sortofpoweryouprefer,MasterC'baoth?Yes,Icancertainlyunderstandthat.

Not that there can be much challenge left in it—not anymore. Of course," he

added reflectively, glancing out the window, "that may be the whole idea. I

expectthatevenJediMasterseventuallygettoooldtobeinterestedinanything

excepttositoutinthesun."

C'baoth'sforeheaddarkened."Haveacare,GrandAdmiralThrawn,"hewarned.

"OrperhapsI'llseekchallengeinyourdestruction."

"Thatwouldhardlybeachallengeforamanofyourskillandpower,"Thrawn

counteredwithashrug.

"Butthen,youprobablyalreadyhaveotherJedihereunderyourcommand."

C'baoth frowned, obviously thrown by the sudden change in subject. "Other

Jedi?"heechoed.

"Of course. Surely it's only fitting that a Jedi Master have lesser Jedi serving

beneathhim.Jediwhomhemayteachandcommandandpunishatwill."

Something like a shadow crossed C'baoth's face. "There are no Jedi left," he

murmured."TheEmperorandVaderhuntedthemdownanddestroyedthem."

"Notallofthem,"Thrawntoldhimsoftly."TwonewJedihaveariseninthepast

fiveyears:LukeSkywalkerandhissister,LeiaOrganaSolo."

"Andwhatisthattome?"

"Icandeliverthemtoyou."

For a long minute C'baoth stared at him, disbelief and desire struggling for

supremacyonhisface.Thedesirewon."Bothofthem?"

"Bothof them,"Thrawnnodded."Considerwhat aman ofyourskillcoulddo

withbrand-newJedi.

Moldthem,changethem,re-createtheminanyimageyouchose."Hecockedan

eyebrow. "And with them would come a very special bonus... because Leia

OrganaSoloispregnant.Withtwins."

C'baothinhaledsharply."Jeditwins?"hehissed.

"Theyhavethepotential,orsomysourcestellme."Thrawnsmiled."Ofcourse,

whattheyultimatelybecamewouldbeentirelyuptoyou."

C'baoth'seyesdartedtoPellaeon;backtoThrawn.Slowly,deliberately,hestood

up."Verywell,GrandAdmiralThrawn,"hesaid."InreturnfortheJedi,Iwill

assistyourforces.Takemetoyourship."

"In time, Master C'baoth," Thrawn said, getting to his feet himself. "First we

must go into the Emperor's mountain. This bargain is dependent on whether I

findwhatI'mlookingforthere."

"Ofcourse."C'baoth'seyesflashed."Letusbothhope,"hesaidwarningly,"that

youdo."

Ittooksevenhoursofsearching,throughamountainfortressmuchlargerthan

Pellaeonhadexpected.

But in the end, they did indeed find the treasures Thrawn had hoped for. The

cloakingshield...andthatothersmall,almosttrivial,bitoftechnology.



The door to the Grand Admiral's command room slid open; settling himself,

Pellaeonsteppedinside."Awordwithyou,Admiral?"

"Certainly, Captain," Thrawn said from his seat in the center of the double

displaycircle."Comein.HastherebeenanyupdatefromtheImperialPalace?"

"No, sir, not since yesterday's," Pellaeon said as he walked to the edge of the

outercircle,silentlyrehearsingonelasttimehowhewasgoingtosaythis."Ican

requestone,ifyou'dlike."

"Probablyunnecessary,"Thrawnshookhishead."Itlookslikethedetailsofthe

Bimmisaaritriphavebeenmoreorlesssettled.Allwehavetodoisalertoneof

thecommandogroups—TeamEight,Ithink—andwe'llhaveourJedi."

"Yes, sir." Pellaeon braced himself. "Admiral... I have to tell you that I'm not

convinced dealing with C'baoth is a good idea. To be perfectly honest, I don't

thinkhe'sentirelysane."

Thrawncockedan eyebrow. "Ofcourse he's notsane.But then,he'snot Jorus

C'baoth,either."

Pellaeonfelthismouthfallopen."What?"

"Jorus C'baoth is dead," Thrawn said. "He was one of the six Jedi Masters

aboard theOldRepublic 's Outbound Flight project. I don't know if you were

highlyenoughplacedbackthentohaveknownaboutit."

"Iheardrumors,"Pellaeonfrowned,thinkingback."Somesortofgrandeffortto

extendtheOldRepublic'sauthorityoutsidethegalaxy,asIrecall,launchedjust

beforetheCloneWarsbrokeout.Ineverheardanythingmoreaboutit."

"That'sbecausetherewasn'tanythingmoretobeheard,"Thrawnsaidevenly."It

wasinterceptedbyataskforceoutsideOldRepublicspaceanddestroyed."

Pellaeonstaredathim,ashiverrunninguphisback."Howdoyouknow?"

Thrawnraisedhiseyebrows."BecauseIwastheforce'scommander.Evenatthat

earlydatetheEmperorrecognizedthattheJedihadtobeexterminated.SixJedi

Mastersaboardthesameshipwastoogoodanopportunitytopassup."

Pellaeonlickedhislips."Butthen...?"

"Whoisitwe'vebroughtaboardtheChimaera?"Thrawnfinishedthequestion

forhim. "Ishould havethought thatobvious. JoruusC'baoth—notethetelltale

mispronunciationofthenameJorus—isaclone."

Pellaeonstaredathim."Aclone?"

"Certainly,"Thrawnsaid."Createdfromatissuesample,probablysometimejust

beforetherealC'baoth'sdeath."

"Early in the war, in other words," Pellaeon said, swallowing hard. The early

clones—or at least those the fleet had faced—had been highly unstable, both

mentallyandemotionally.Sometimesspectacularlyso... "Andyou deliberately

broughtthisthingaboardmyship?"hedemanded.

"Would you rather we have brought back a full-fledged Dark Jedi?" Thrawn

asked coldly. "A second Darth Vader, perhaps, with the sort of ambitions and

powerthatmighteasilyleadhimtotakeoveryourship?Countyourblessings,

Captain."

"AtleastaDarkJediwouldhavebeenpredictable,"Pellaeoncountered.

"C'baoth is predictable enough," Thrawn assured him. "And for those times

whenheisn't—"Hewavedahandatthehalfdozenframeworksencirclinghis

commandcenter."That'swhattheysalamiriarefor."

Pellaeongrimaced."Istilldon'tlikeit,Admiral.Wecanhardlyprotecttheship

fromhimwhileatthesametimehavinghimcoordinatethefleet'sattacks."

"There'sadegreeofriskinvolved,"Thrawnagreed."Butriskhasalwaysbeenan

inescapablepartofwarfare.Inthiscase,thepotentialbenefitsfaroutweighthe

potentialdangers."

Reluctantly, Pellaeon nodded. He didn't like it—was fairly certain he would

neverlikeit—butitwasclearthatThrawnhadmadeuphismind."Yes,sir,"he

muttered."YoumentionedamessagetoTeamEight.Willyoubewantingmeto

transmitthat?"

"No,I'llhandleitmyself."Thrawnsmiledsardonically."Theirgloriousleader,

andallthat—youknowhowNoghriare.Ifthere'snothingmore...?"

Itwas,clearly,adismissal."No,sir,"Pellaeonsaid."I'llbeonthebridgeifyou

requireme."Heturnedtogo.

"It will bring us victory, Captain," the Grand Admiral called softly after him.

"Quietyourfears,andconcentrateonthat."

Ifitdoesn'tkillusall."Yes,sir,"Pellaeonsaidaloud,andlefttheroom.

Chapter5

Hanfinishedhisreport,satback,andwaitedforthecriticismtostart.

Itwasaveryshortwait."Soonceagainyoursmugglerfriendsrefusetocommit

themselves," Admiral Ackbar said, sounding more than a little disgusted. His

high-domedheadbobbedtwiceinsomeindecipherableCalamariangesture,his

huge eyes blinking in time with the head movements. "You'll recall that I

disagreed with this idea all along," he added, waving a webbed hand toward

Han'sreportcase.

HanglancedacrossthetableatLeia."It'snotamatterofcommitment,Admiral,"

hetoldtheother."It'samatterthatmostofthemjustdon'tseeanyrealgainin

switchingfromtheircurrentactivitiestostraightshipping."

"Orelseit'salackoftrust,"amelodicalienvoiceputin."Couldthatbeit?"

Han grimaced before he could stop himself. "It's possible," he said, forcing

himselftolookatBorskFey'lya.

"Possible?" Fey'lya's violet eyes widened, the fine cream-colored fur covering

his body rippling slightly with the motion. It was a Bothan gesture of polite

surprise, one which Fey'lya seemed to use a lot. "You said possible , Captain

Solo?"

Hansighedquietlyandgaveup.Fey'lyawouldonlymaneuverhimintosayingit

someotherwayifhedidn't."SomeofthegroupsI'vetalkedtodon'ttrustus,"he

conceded."Theythinktheoffermightbesomesortoftraptobringthemoutinto

theopen."

"Becauseofme,ofcourse,"Ackbargrowled,hisnormalsalmoncolorturninga

little darker. "Haven't you tired of retaking this same territory, Councilor

Fey'lya?"

Fey'lya'seyeswidenedagain,andforamomenthegazedsilentlyatAckbaras

the tension around the table quickly rose to the level of thick paste. They had

neverlikedeachother,Hanknew,notfromthedayFey'lyahadfirstbroughthis

sizable faction of the Bothan race into theAlliance after the Battle of Yavin.

RightfromthestartFey'lyahadbeenjockeyingforpositionandpower,cutting

deals whereverandwhenever he could and making itabundantlyclear that he

expected to be given a high position in the fledgling political system Mon

Mothma was putting together. Ackbar had considered such ambitions to be a

dangerous waste of time and effort, particularly given the bleak situation

theAlliancewasfacingatthetime,andwithtypicalbluntnesshadmadenoeffort

toconcealthatopinion.

Given Ackbar's reputation and subsequent successes, Han had little doubt that

Fey'lyawouldultimatelyhavebeenshuntedofftosomerelativelyunimportant

governmentpostintheNewRepublic...ifithadn'thappenedthatthespieswho

discoveredtheexistenceandlocationoftheEmperor'snewDeathStarhadbeen

agroupofFey'lya'sBothans.

Preoccupied at the time with more urgent matters, Han had never learned the

details of how Fey'lya had managed to parlay that serendipity into his current

positionontheCouncil.Andtobeperfectlyhonest,hewasn'tsurehewantedto.

"Imerelyseektoclarifythesituationinmyownmind,Admiral,"Fey'lyasaidat

lastintotheheavysilence."It'shardlyworthwhileforustocontinuesendinga

valuable man like Captain Solo out on these contact missions if each is

predoomedtofailure."

"They'renotpredoomedtofailure,"Hancutin.Outofthecornerofhiseyehe

sawLeiagivehimawarninglook.Heignoredit."Thekindofsmugglerswe're

looking for are conservative businesspeople—they don't just jump into

somethingnewwithoutthinkingitthroughfirst.They'llcomearound."

Fey'lya shrugged, his fur again rippling. "And meanwhile, we expend a great

dealoftimeandeffortwithnothingtoshowforit."

"Look,youcan'tbuildupany—"

Agentle,almostdiffidenttapofahammerfromtheheadofthetablecutoffthe

argument."Whatthesmugglersarewaitingfor,"MonMothmasaidquietly,her

sterngazetouchingeachoftheothersatthetableinturn,"isthesamethingthe

restofthegalaxyiswaitingfor:theformalreestablishmentoftheprincipalsand

law of theOldRepublic . That is our first and primary task, Councilors. To

becometheNewRepublicinfactaswellasinname."

HancaughtLeia'seye,and thistimehewas theonewhosent outthewarning

look.Shegrimaced,butnoddedslightlyandkeptquiet.

Mon Mothma let the silence linger a moment longer, again sending her gaze

aroundthetable.Hanfoundhimselfstudyingher,notingthedeepeninglinesin

herface,thestreaksofgrayinherdarkhair,thethinnessratherthanslenderness

ofherneck.She'dagedalotsincehe'dfirstmether,backwhentheAlliancewas

tryingtofind a way outfromunder the shadow oftheEmpire's second Death

Star. Ever since then, Mon Mothma had been right in the middle of this

horrendoustaskofsettingupaviablegovernment,andthestrainhadclearlytold

onher.

Butdespitewhattheyearsweredoingto herface,hereyesstillheldthesame

quietfirethey'dpossessedthen—thesamefire,orsothestorieswent,thathad

been there since her historic break with the Emperor's New Order and her

foundingoftheRebelAlliance.Shewastough,andsmart,andfullyincontrol.

Andeveryonepresentknewit.

HereyesfinishedtheirsweepandcametorestonHan."CaptainSolo,wethank

youforyourreport;and,too,foryourefforts.AndwiththeCaptain'sreport,this

meetingisadjourned."

She tapped the hammer again and stood up. Han closed his report case and

worked his way through the general confusion around to the other side of the

table. "So," he said quietly, coming up behind Leia as she collected her own

things."Areweoutofhere?"

"Thesoonerthebetter,"shemutteredback."Ijusthavetogivethesethingsto

Winter."

Hanglancedaroundandloweredhisvoiceanotch."Itakeitthingsweregoinga

littleroughbeforetheycalledmein?"

"Nomorethanusual,"shetoldhim."Fey'lyaandAckbarhadoneoftheirpolite

littledogfights,thisoneoverthefiascoatObroa-skai—thatlostElominforce—

with some more of Fey'lya's veiled suggestions that the job of Commander in

ChiefistoomuchforAckbartohandle.Andthen,ofcourse,MonMothma—"

"Awordwithyou,Leia?"MonMothma'svoicecamefromoverHan'sshoulder.

Hanturnedtofaceher,sensingLeiatensealittlebesidehimasshedidlikewise.

"Yes?"

"I forgot to ask you earlier if you'd talked to Luke about going with you to

Bimmisaari,"MonMothmasaid."Didheagree?"

"Yes,"Leianodded,throwinganapologeticlookatHan."I'msorry,Han;Ididn't

getachancetotellyou.TheBimmssentamessageyesterdayaskingthatLuke

betherewithmeforthetalks."

"They did, huh?" A year ago, Han reflected, he would probably have been

furiousathavingapainstakinglycraftedscheduleflippedatthelastminutelike

this.Leia'sdiplomaticpatiencemustbestartingtoruboffonhim.

Eitherthat,orhewasjustgettingsoft."Theygiveanyreasons?"

"The Bimms are rather hero-oriented," Mon Mothma said before Leia could

answer, her eyes searching Han's face. Probably trying to figure out just how

madhewasaboutthechangeinplans."AndLuke'spartintheBattleofEndoris

ratherwellknown."

"Yeah, I'd heard that," Han said, trying not to be too sarcastic. He had no

particularquarrelwithLuke'spositionintheNewRepublic'spantheonofheroes

—thekidhadcertainlyearnedit.ButifhavingJediaroundtobragaboutwasso

importanttoMonMothma,thensheoughttobelettingLeiagetonwithherown

studies instead of foisting all this extra diplomaticwork on her. As it was, he

wouldbetonanambitioussnailtomakefullJedibeforeshedid.

Leiafoundhishand,squeezedit.Hesqueezedback,toshowthathewasn'tmad.

Thoughsheprobablyalreadyknewthat."We'dbettergetgoing,"shetoldMon

Mothma,usinghergriponHan'shandtostartsteeringhimawayfromthetable.

"Westillhavetocollectourdroidsbeforeweleave."

"Haveagoodtrip,"MonMothmasaidgravely."Andgoodluck."

"ThedroidsarealreadyontheFalcon,"HantoldLeiaastheywovetheirway

aroundthevariousconversationsthathadsprungupbetweentheCouncilorsand

staffmembers."ChewiegotthemaboardwhileIcamehere."

"Iknow,"Leiamurmured.

"Right,"Hansaid,andleftitatthat.

Shesqueezedhishandagain."It'llbeallright,Han.You,me,andLuketogether

again—it'llbejustlikeoldtimes."

"Sure," Han said. Sitting around with a group of half-furred, half-size aliens,

listening to Threepio's precise voice all day as he translated back and forth,

trying to penetrate yet another alien psychology to figure out what exactly it

wouldtaketogetthemtojointheNewRepublic—"Sure,"herepeatedwitha

sigh."Justexactlylikeoldtimes."

Chapter6

The waving alien trees shied back like some sort of huge tentacles from the

landingarea,andwiththebarestofbumpsHansettheMillenniumFalcondown

ontheunevenground."Well,hereweare,"heannouncedtonooneinparticular.

"Bimmisaari.Furandmovingplantsaspecialty."

"None of that," Leia warned him, unstrapping from the seat behind him and

running through the Jedi relaxation techniques Luke had taught her. Political

dealingswithpeoplesheknewwererelativelyeasyforher.Diplomaticmissions

withunfamiliaralienracesweresomethingelseentirely.

"You'lldofine,"Lukesaidfrombesideher,reachingovertosqueezeherarm.

Han half turned. "I wish you two wouldn't do that," he complained. "It's like

listeningtohalfaconversation."

"Sorry,"Lukeapologized,climbingoutofhisseatandstoopingtopeeroutthe

Falcon'snosewindow.

"Lookslikeourreceptioncommitteecoming.I'llgogetThreepioready."

"We'llbethereinaminute,"Leiacalledafterhim."Youready,Han?"

"Yeah,"Hantoldher,adjustinghisblasterinitsholster."Lastchancetochange

yourmind,Chewie."

Leia strained her ears as Chewbacca growled out a curt reply. Even after all

theseyearsshestillcouldn'tunderstandhimnearlyaswellasHancould—some

subtlelevelofharmonicsintheWookiee'svoice,apparently,thatshehadtrouble

pickingup.

But if some of the words were less than distinct, the overall meaning came

through crystal clear. "Oh, come on," Han urged. "You've been fawned over

before—remember that big awards thing back at the Yavin base? I didn't hear

youcomplainingthen."

"It'sallright,Han,"LeiaputinoverChewbacca'sresponse."Ifhewantstostay

aboardwithArtooandworkonthestabilizers,that'sfine.TheBimmswon'tbe

offended."

Han looked out the nose window at the approaching delegation. "I wasn't

worriedaboutoffendingthem,"hemuttered."Ijustthoughtit'dbenicetohavea

littleextrabackupalong.Justincase."

Leia smiled and patted his arm. "The Bimms are very friendly people," she

assuredhim."Therewon'tbeanytrouble."

"I'veheardthatbefore,"Hansaiddryly,pullingacomlinkfromasmallstorage

compartmentbesidehisseat.Hestartedtoclipittohisbelt;changeddirectionin

midmotionandfastenedittohiscollarinstead.

"Looksgoodthere,"Leiasaid."Areyougoingtoputyouroldgeneral'sinsignia

onyourbeltnow?"

Hemadeafaceather."Veryfunny.Withthecomlinkhere,allIhavetodois

casually switch it on and I'll be able to talk to Chewie without being obvious

aboutit."

"Ah," Leia nodded. It was a good idea, at that. "Sounds like you've been

spendingtoomuchtimewithLieutenantPageandhiscommandos."

"I'vebeenspendingtoomuchtimesittinginonCouncilmeetings,"hecountered,

sliding out of hisseatandstandingup. "After four years of watching political

infighting,youlearntheoccasionalvalueofsubtlety.Comeon,Chewie—we'll

needyoutolockupbehindus."

LukeandThreepiowerewaitingwhentheygottothehatchway."Ready?"Luke

asked.

"Ready," Leia said, taking a deep breath. With a hiss of released airseal the

hatchwayopened,andtogethertheywalkeddowntheramptowheretheyellow-

clad,half-furredcreatureswaited.

The arrival ceremony was short and, for the most part, unintelligible, though

Threepiodidhisbesttokeepuparunningtranslationofthefive-partharmony

thewholethingseemedtohavebeenwrittenin.

Thesong/welcomeendedandtwooftheBimmssteppedforward,oneofthem

continuing the melody while the other held up a small electronic device. "He

offersgreetingstoDistinguishedVisitorCouncilorLeiaOrganaSolo,"Threepio

said,"andhopesyourdiscussionswiththeLawElderswillbefruitful.Healso

requeststhatCaptainSoloreturnhisweapontotheship."

The droid said it so matter-of-factly that it took a second for the words to

penetrate."Whatwasthatlast?"Leiaasked.

"Captain Solo must leave his weapon aboard the ship," Threepio repeated.

"Weapons of violence are not permitted within the city. There are no

exceptions."

"Terrific,"Hanmurmuredintoherear."Youdidn'ttellmethisonewascoming."

"I didn't know this one was coming," Leia countered quietly, giving the two

Bimmsareassuringsmile.

"Doesn'tlooklikewe'vegotanychoice."

"Diplomacy,"Hangrowled,makingacurseoutoftheword.Unfasteninghisgun

belt,hewrappeditcarefullyaroundtheholsteredblasterandsetthepackageup

insidethehatchway."Happy?"

"Aren'tIalways?"LeianoddedtoThreepio."Tellthemwe'reready."

The droid translated. Stepping aside, the two Bimms gestured back the way

they'dcome.

They were perhaps twenty meters from the Falcon , with the sounds of

Chewbacca sealing the hatchway coming from behind them, when something

abruptlyoccurredtoLeia."Luke?"shemurmured.

"Yes,Iknow,"hemurmuredback."Maybetheyfigureit'sjustpartoftheproper

Jedi'soutfit."

"Or else their weapons detector doesn't read lightsabers," Han put in quietly

fromLeia'sotherside.

"Eitherway,whattheydon'tknowwon'thurtthem."

"Ihopeso,"Leiasaid,forcingdownherreflexivediplomaticmisgivings.After

all,iftheBimmsthemselveshadn'tobjectedtoit..."Goodskies,wouldyoulook

atthatcrowd?"

They were waiting where the path exited the trees—hundreds of Bimms,

standingperhapstwentydeeponbothsidesoftheway,allclothedinthesame

tooledyellow.Theofficialreceptioncommitteeshiftedtosinglefileandstarted

down the gauntlet without giving the crowd a second glance; bracing herself,

Leiafollowed.

Itwasalittlestrange,butnotnearlyasuncomfortableasshe'dfeareditwould

be.EachBimmreachedoutahandasshepassed,touchingherwithafeathery

lightnessonshoulderorheadorarmorback.Itwasalldoneincompletesilence,

andcompleteorder,withtheauraofperfectcivilizationaboutit.

Still,shewasgladthatChewbaccahaddecidednottocome.Hehated—rather

violently—beingpawedbystrangers.

They passed through the crowd, and the Bimm walking nearest Leia sang

something."HesaystheTowerofLawisjustahead,"Threepiotranslated."It's

thelocationoftheirplanetarycouncil."

Leia peered over the heads of the leading Bimms. There, obviously, was the

TowerofLaw.Andnexttoit..."Threepio,askwhatthatthingisbesideit,"she

instructedthe droid."That buildingthat lookslikea three-leveldome withthe

sidesandmostoftheroofcutaway."

The droid sang, and the Bimm replied. "It's the city's main marketplace,"

Threepiotoldher."Hesaystheyprefertheopenairwheneverpossible."

"That roof probably stretches to covermoreofthedomeframeworkwhenthe

weather'sbad,"Hanaddedfrombehindher."I'veseenthatdesigninafewother

places."

"Hesaysthatperhapsyoucanbegivenatourofthefacilitybeforeyouleave,"

Threepioadded.

"Soundsgreat,"Hansaid."Wonderfulplacetopickupsouvenirs."

"Quiet,"Leiawarned."OryoucanwaitintheFalconwithChewie."

TheBimmisaariTowerofLawwasfairlymodest,asplanetarycouncilmeeting

places went, topping the three-level marketplace beside it by only a couple of

floors.Inside,theywereledtoalargeroomonthegroundfloorwhere,framed

byhugetapestriescoveringthewalls,anothergroupofBimmswaited.Threeof

themstoodandsangasLeiaentered.

"Theyaddtheirgreetingstothosegivenyouatthelandingarea,PrincessLeia,"

Threepiotranslated.

"They apologize, however, for the fact that the talkswill not be able to begin

quiteyet.Itappearsthattheirchiefnegotiatorbecameilljustmomentsago."

"Oh,"Leiasaid,takenslightlyaback."Pleaseexpressoursympathies,andaskif

there'sanythingwecandotohelp."

"They thank you," Threepio said after another exchange of songs. "But they

assure you that will not be necessary. There is no danger to him, merely

inconvenience." The droid hesitated. "I really don't think you should inquire

further,YourHighness,"headded,abitdelicately."Thecomplaintappearstobe

ofaratherpersonalnature."

"I understand," Leia said gravely, suppressing a smile at the prim tone of the

droid's voice. "Well, in that case, I suppose we might as well return to the

Falconuntilhefeelsreadytocontinue."

Thedroidtranslated,andoneoftheirescortsteppedforwardandsangsomething

in reply. "He offers an alternative, Your Highness: that he would be eager to

conductyouonatourofthemarketplacewhileyouwait."

LeiaglancedatHanandLuke."Anyobjections?"

The Bimm sang something else. "He further suggests that Master Luke and

Captain Solo might find something to interest them in the Tower's upper

chambers," Threepio said. "Apparently, there are relics there dating from the

middleeraoftheOldRepublic."

A quiet alarm went off in the back of Leia's mind. Were theBimmstryingto

splitthemup?"LukeandHanmightlikethemarket,too,"shesaidcautiously.

There was another exchange of arias. "He says they would find it excessively

dull,"Threepiotoldher.

"Frankly,ifit'sanythinglikemarketplacesI'veseen—"

"Ilikemarketplaces,"Hancuthimoffbrusquely,hisvoicedarkwithsuspicion.

"Ilike'emalot."

Leialookedatherbrother."Whatdoyouthink?"

Luke's eyes swept the Bimms; measuring them, she knew, with all of his Jedi

insight."I don'tsee whatdanger theycouldbe,"hesaidslowly."I don'tsense

anyrealduplicityinthem.Nothingbeyondthatofnormalpolitics,anyway."

Leianodded,hertensioneasingalittle.Normalpolitics—yes,thatwasprobably

allitwas.TheBimmprobablyjustwantedthechancetoprivatelybendherear

onbehalfofhisparticularviewpointbeforethetalksgotstartedinearnest."In

thatcase,"shesaid,incliningherheadtotheBimm,"weaccept."



"The marketplace has been in this same spot for over two hundred years,"

Threepio translated as Han and Leia followed their host up the gentle ramp

betweenthesecondandthirdlevelsoftheopendomestructure."Thoughnotin

thisexactform,ofcourse.TheTowerofLaw,infact,wasbuilthereprecisely

becauseitwasalreadyacommoncrossroads."

"Hasn'tchangedmuch,hasit?"Hancommented,pressingclosetoLeiatokeep

themfromgettingrundownbyaparticularlydeterminedbatchofshoppers.He'd

seen a lot of marketplaces on a lot of different planets, but seldom one so

crowded.

Crowdedwithmorethanjustlocals,too.Scatteredthroughouttheseaofyellow-

clad Bimms— don't they ever wear any other color? —he could see several

otherhumans,apairofBaradas,anIshiTib,agroupofYuzzumi,andsomething

thatlookedvaguelylikeaPaonnid.

"You can see why this place is worth getting into the New Republic," Leia

murmuredtohim.

"I guess so," Han conceded, stepping to one of the booths and looking at the

metalwaredisplayedthere.

The owner/operator sang something toward him, gesturing to a set of carving

knives."No,thanks,"Hantoldhim,movingback.TheBimmcontinuedtojabber

athim,hisgesturesbecomingsharper—"Threepio,willyouhaveourhosttell

himthatwe'renotinterested?"hecalledtothedroid.

Therewasnoresponse."Threepio?"herepeated,lookingaround.

Threepio was staring off into the crowd. "Hey, Goldenrod," he snapped. "I'm

talkingtoyou."

Threepiospunback."I'mterriblysorry,CaptainSolo,"heapologized."Butour

hostseemstohavedisappeared."

"What do you mean, disappeared?" Han demanded, looking around. Their

particularBimm,heremembered,hadwornasetofshinypinsonhisshoulders.

Pinsthatwerenowheretobeseen."Howcouldhejustdisappear?"

Besidehim,Leiagrippedhishand."I'vegotabadfeelingaboutthis,"shesaid

tightly."Let'sgetbacktotheTower."

"Yeah,"Hanagreed. "Comeon, Threepio. Don'tget lost." Shiftinghis grip on

Leia'shand,heturned—Andfroze.Afewmetersaway,islandsinthechurning

seaofyellow,threealiensstoodfacingthem.

Short aliens, not much taller than the Bimms, with steel-gray skin, large dark

eyes,andprotrudingjaws.

And,heldreadyintheirhands,stokhlisticks.

"We've got trouble," he murmured to Leia, turning his head slowly to look

around,hopingdesperatelythatthosethreewerealltherewere.

Theyweren't.Therewereatleasteightmore,arrayedinaroughcircletenmeters

across.AcirclewithHan,Leia,andThreepioatitscenter.

"Han!"Leiasaidurgently.

"Iseethem,"hemuttered."We'reintrouble,sweetheart."

Hesensedherglancebehindthem."Whoarethey?"shebreathed.

"I don't know—never seen anything like them before. But they're not kidding

around. Those things are called stokhli sticks—shoot a spraynet mist two

hundred meters, with enough shockstun juice to take down a good-sized

Gundark." Abruptly, Han noticed that he and Leia had moved, instinctively

backing away from the nearest part of the aliens' circle. He glanced over his

shoulder—"They're herding ustoward thedownramp," hetoldher. "Mustbe

tryingtotakeuswithoutstirringupthecrowd."

"We'redoomed,"Threepiomoaned.

LeiagrippedHan'shand."Whatarewegoingtodo?"

"Let'sseehowcloselythey'repayingattention."Tryingtowatchallthealiensat

once, Han casually reached his free hand toward the comlink attached to his

collar.

The nearest alien lifted his stokhlistick warningly. Han froze, slowly lowered

thehandagain."Somuchforthatidea,"hemuttered."Ithinkit'stimetopullin

thewelcomemat.BettergiveLukeashout."

"Hecan'thelpus."

Hanglanceddownather; atherglazedeyesandpinchedface."Whynot?"he

demanded,stomachtightening.

Shesighed,justaudibly."They'vegothim,too."

Chapter7

Itwasmoreafeeling thananythingapproaching anactualword,butit echoed

throughLuke'smindasclearlyasifhe'dhearditshouted.

Help!

He spun around, the ancient tapestry he'd been studying forgotten as his Jedi

sensesflaredintocombatreadiness.Aroundhim,thelargetop-floorTowerroom

was as it had been a minute earlier: deserted except for a handful of Bimms

strollingamongthehugewalltapestriesandreliccases.Nodangerhere,atleast

nothingimmediate.Whatisit?hesentback,startingforthenextroomandthe

staircaseleadingdown.

HecaughtaquickvisionfromLeia'smind,apictureofalienfiguresandavivid

impression of a contracting noose. Hang on, he told her. I'm coming. All but

runningnow,heduckedthroughthedoorwaytothestaircaseroom,grabbingthe

jambtohelpwithhisturn—Andbrakedtoanabrupthalt.Standingbetweenhim

andthestairwaywasaloosesemicircleofsevensilentgrayfigures.

Luke froze, his hand still uselessly gripping the doorjamb, half a galaxy away

fromthelightsaberonhisbelt.Hehadnoideawhatthestickswerehisassailants

werepointingathim,buthehadnodesiretofindoutthehardway.Notunless

heabsolutelyhadto."Whatdoyouwant?"heaskedaloud.

The alien in the center of the semicircle—the leader, Luke guessed—gestured

withhisstick.Lukeglancedoverhisshoulderintotheroomhe'djustleft."You

wantmetogobackinthere?"heasked.

The leader gestured again... and this time Luke saw it. The small, almost

insignificant tactical error. "All right," he said, as soothingly as possible. "No

problem."Keepinghiseyesonthealiensandhishandsawayfromhislightsaber,

hebegantobackup.

Theyherded himsteadily backacross theroom towardanotherarchwayanda

roomhehadn'tgottentobeforeLeia'semergencycallhadcome."Ifyou'djust

tellmewhatyouwant,I'msurewecouldcometosomesortofagreement,"Luke

suggested as he walked. Faint scuffling sounds told him that there were still

someBimmswanderingaround,presumablythereasonthealienshadn'talready

attacked. "I would hope we could at least talk about it. There's no particular

reasonwhyanyofyouhastobehurt."

Reflexively,theleader'sleftthumbmoved.Notmuch,butLukewaswatching,

anditwasenough.Athumbtrigger,then."Ifyouhavesomebusinesswithme,

I'mwillingtotalk,"hecontinued."Youdon'tneedmyfriendsinthemarketplace

forthat."

Hewasalmosttothearchwaynow.Acouplemorestepstogo.Ifthey'djusthold

offshootinghimthatlong...

Andthenhewasthere,withthecarvedstoneloomingoverhim."Nowwhere?"

heasked,forcinghismusclestorelax.Thiswasit.

Again,theleadergesturedwithhisstick...andmidwaythroughthemotion,fora

single instant, the weapon was pointed not at Luke but at two of his own

companions.

AndreachingoutthroughtheForce,Luketriggeredthethumbswitch.Therewas

aloud,sharphissasthestickbuckedinitsowner'shandsandwhatlookedlikea

finesprayshotouttheend.

Luke didn't wait to see what exactly the spray did. The maneuver had bought

himmaybeahalfsecondofconfusion,andhecouldn'taffordtowasteanyofit.

Throwinghimselfbackandtotheside,hedidaflipintotheroombehindhim,

anglingtogettotheslightprotectionaffordedbythewallbesidethedoorway.

He just barely made it. Even as he cleared the archway there was a stuttering

salvoofsharphisses,andasheflippedbacktohisfeethesawthatthedoorjamb

hadgrownstrangesemisolidtendrilsofsomethin,translucentmaterial.Another

tendrilshotthroughthedoorwayashehastilybackedfartheraway,sweepingin

a spiral curve that seemed to turn from fine mist to liquid stream to solid

cylinderevenasitcurved.

Hislightsaberwasinhishandnow,ignitingwithasnap-hissofitsown.They'd

bethroughthatdoorwayinseconds,heknew,alleffortsatsubtletyabandoned.

Andwhentheycame—Heclenchedhisteeth,amemoryofhisbriefskiff-battle

encounter with Boba Fett flashing through his mind. Wrapped in the bounty

hunter's smart-rope, he'd escaped only by snapping the cable with a deflected

blastershot.Butheretherewouldbenoblasterstotrythattrickwith.

Forthatmatter,hewasn't absolutelysurewhathislightsabercoulddodirectly

against the sprays. It would be like trying to cut through a rope that was

continuallyrecreatingitself.

Orrather,liketryingtocutsevensuchropes.

He could hear their footsteps now, sprinting toward his room even as the

spiraling tendril sweeping the doorway made sure he stayed too far back to

ambushthemastheycamethroughit.Astandardmilitarytechnique,playedout

withthekindofprecisionthatshowedhewasn'tdealingwithamateurs.

Heraisedthe lightsabertoengardeposition,riskinga quicklookaround.The

roomwasdecoratedlikealltheothershe'dseenonthisfloor,withancientwall

tapestriesandotherrelics—norealcoveranywhere.Hiseyesflickedacrossthe

walls,searchingfortheexitthatbyimplicationhadtobeheresomewhere.But

the action was so much useless reflex. Wherever the exit was, it was almost

certainlytoofarawaytodohimanygood.

Thehissofthespraystopped;andheturnedbackjustintimetoseethealiens

chargeintotheroom.

Theyspottedhim,spunaroundtobringtheirweaponstobear—Andreaching

upwiththe Force, Lukerippedone of the tapestriesfrom the wallbesidehim

andbroughtitdownontopofthem.

ItwasatrickthatonlyaJedicouldhavepulledoff,anditwasatrickthat,byall

rights, ought to have worked. All seven of the aliens were in the room by the

timehegotthetapestryloose,andallsevenwerebeneathitasitbeganitsfall.

But by the time it landed in a huge wrinkled pile on the floor, all seven had

somehowmanagedtobackcompletelyoutofitsway.

Frombehind theheap camethe sharphissoftheirweapons,andLuke ducked

back involuntarily before he realized the webbing sprays weren't coming

anywherenearhim.Instead,themistytendrilsweresweepingoutward,shooting

aroundandpastthedownedtapestrytocrisscrossthewalls.

Hisfirstthoughtwasthattheweaponsmusthavegoneoffaccidentally,jostled

or bumped as the aliens tried to get outfrom under the falling tapestry. But a

splitsecondlaterherealizedthetruth:thattheyweredeliberatelywebbing the

othertapestriesintoplaceonthewallstopreventhimfromtryingthesametrick

twice.Belatedly,Luketuggedattheheapedtapestry,hopingtosweepthemback

withit,andfoundthatit,too,wasnowsolidlywebbedinplace.

Thesprayingceased,andasingledarkeyepokedcautiouslyaroundthetapestry

mountain...andwith astrangesortofsadness,Lukerealized thathenolonger

hadanychoicesleft.Therewas,now,onlyonewaytoendthisifHanandLeia

weretobesaved.

Helockedhislightsaberonandlethismindrelax,reachingoutwithJedisenses

toward the seven figures, forming their image in his mind's eye. The alien

watching him brought his weapon around the edge of the tapestry— And,

reaching back over his left shoulder, Luke hurled his lightsaber with all his

strength.

Thebladescythedtowardtheedgeofthetapestry,spinningthroughtheairlike

some strange and fiery predator. The alien saw it, reflexively ducked back—

Anddiedasthelightsaberslicedthroughthetapestryandcuthiminhalf.

Theothersmusthaverealizedinthatinstantthatthey,too,weredead;buteven

thentheydidn'tgiveup.

Howling a strangely chilling wail, they attacked: four throwing themselves

aroundthesidesofthebarrier,theothertwoactuallyleapingstraightuptotryto

shootoverit.

Itmadenodifference.GuidedbytheForce,thespinninglightsabercutthrough

theirranksinatwistingcurve,strikingeachoftheminturn.

Aheartbeatlater,itwasallover.

Luke took a shuddering breath. He'd doneit. Not the way he'd wanted to, but

he'ddoneit.Now,hecouldonlyhopehe'ddoneitintime.Callingthelightsaber

backtohishandonadeadrun,hesprintedpastthecrumpledalienbodiesand

stretchedoutagainthroughtheForce.Leia?



Thedecorative columnsflanking thedownward rampwere visiblejust beyond

thenextrowofboothswhen,besidehim,HanfeltLeiatwitch."He'sfree,"she

said."He'sonhisway."

"Great,"Hanmuttered."Great.Let'shopeourpalsdon'tfindoutbeforehegets

here."

The words were barely out of his mouth when, in what looked like complete

unison, the circle of aliens raised their stokhli sticks and started pushing their

waythroughthemillingcrowdofBimms."Toolate,"

Hangritted."Heretheycome."

Leiagrippedhisarm."ShouldItrytotaketheirweaponsawayfromthem?"

"You'll never get all eleven," Han told her, looking around desperately for

inspiration.

Hiseyesfellonanearbytableloadedwithjewelrydisplayboxes...andhehadit.

Maybe."Leia—thatjewelryoverthere?Grabsomeofit."

Hesensedherthrowastartledlookupathim."What—?"

"Justdoit!"hehissed,watchingtheapproachingaliens."Grabitandthrowitto

me."

Outofthecornerofhiseyehesawoneofthesmallerdisplayboxesstirasshe

strainedtoestablishagriponit.Then,withasuddenlurch,itleapedtowardhim,

slappingintohishandsandscatteringsmallneckpiecestothegroundbeforehe

managedtogetholdoftherest.

Andabruptlytheraucousconversationalhumofthemarketplacewassplitbya

piercingshriek.Hanturnedtowardit,justintimetoseetheownerofthepilfered

merchandisestabbingtwofingerstowardhim."Han!"heheardLeiashoutover

thescream.

"Getreadytoduck!"heshoutedback—

AndwasliterallybowledoffhisfeetasayellowwaveofenragedBimmsleaped

atophim,knockingtheaccusedshopliftertotheground.

Andwiththeirbodiesformingabarrierbetweenhimandthestokhlisticks,he

droppedthejewelryandgrabbed forhiscomlink."Chewie!"hebellowedover

thedin.



Luke heard the shriek even from the top Tower floor; and from the sudden

turmoilinLeia'smind,itwasinstantlyclearthathewouldnevermakeittothe

marketplaceintime.

Heskiddedtoahalt,mindracing.Acrosstheroomalargeopenwindowfaced

the open-domedstructure; but five floors wastoofar for even a Jeditosafely

leap.Heglancedbacktotheroomhe'djustleft,searchingforpossibilities...and

his eye fell on the end of one of the aliens' weapons, just visible through the

archway.

Itwasalongshot,butitwasasgoodachanceashewasgoingtoget.Reaching

out through the Force, he called the weapon flying to his hand, studying its

controlsasheranto thewindow.They weresimpleenough:sprayprofileand

pressure,plusthethumbtrigger.Settingforthenarrowestsprayandthehighest

pressure, he braced himself against the side of the window, aimed for the

marketplace'spartialdomecovering,andfired.

Thestickkickedharderagainsthisshoulderthanhe'dexpectedittoasthespray

shotout,buttheresultswereallhecouldhavehopedfor.Thefrontendofthe

arching tendril struck the roof, forming a leisurely sort of pile as more of the

semisolidspraypushedforwardtojoinit.Lukeheldtheswitchdownforacount

offive,theneasedup,keepingafirmForcegriponthenearendofthetendrilto

preventitfromfallingawayfromthestick.Hegaveitafewsecondstoharden

beforetouchingittentativelywithafinger,gaveitafewsecondsmoretomake

sureitwassolidlyattachedtothemarketplaceroof.Then,takingadeepbreath,

hegrabbedhismakeshiftropewithbothhandsandjumped.

Atornadoofairblewathim,tuggingathishairandclothesasheswungdown

and across. Below and partway across the top level he could see the mass of

yellow-cladBimmsandthehandfulofgrayfiguresstrugglingtogetpastthemto

HanandLeia.Therewasaflickeroflight,visibleeveninthebrightsunshine,

andoneoftheBimmsslumpedtotheground—stunnedordead,Lukecouldn't

tellwhich.Thefloorwasrushingupathim—hebracedhimselftoland—And

with a roar that must have rattled windows for blocks around, the Millennium

Falconscreamedbyoverhead.

The shock wave threw Luke's landing off, sending him sprawling across the

floorandintotwooftheBimms.Butevenasherolledbackuptohisfeet,he

realized that Chewbacca's arrival couldn't have been better timed. Barely ten

meters away, the two alien attackers nearest him had turned their attention

upward,theirweaponspoisedtoensnaretheFalconwhenitreturned.Snatching

hislightsaberfromhisbelt,Lukeleapedoverahalf dozenbystandingBimms,

cuttingbothattackersdownbeforetheyevenknewhewasthere.

Fromoverheadcameanotherroar;butthistimeChewbaccadidn'tsimplyflythe

Falcon past the marketplace. Instead, forward maneuvering jets blasting, he

brought it to a hard stop. Hovering directly over his beleaguered companions,

swivelblasterextendedfromtheship'sunderside,heopenedfire.

The Bimms weren't stupid. Whatever Han and Leia had done to stir up the

hornet'snest,thehornetsthemselvesclearlyhadnodesiretogetshotatfromthe

sky.Inaninstanttheroilingyellowmassdissolved,theBimmsabandoningtheir

attackandstreamingawayinterrorfromtheFalcon.Forcinghiswaythrough

thecrowd,usingtheBimmsforvisualcoverasmuchashecould,Lukestarted

aroundtheattackers'circle.

BetweenhislightsaberandtheFalcon'sswivelblaster,theymadeaveryfast,

verycleansweepofit.



"You,"Lukesaidwithashakeofhishead,"areamess."

"I'm sorry, Master Luke," Threepio apologized, his voice almost inaudible

beneath the layers of hardened spraynet that covered much of his upper body

like some bizarre sort of gift wrapping. "I seem to always be causing you

trouble."

"That's not true, and you know it," Luke soothed him, considering the small

collectionofsolventsarrayedinfrontofhimontheFalcon'sloungetable.So

far none of the ones he'd tried had been even marginally effective against the

webbing."You'vebeenagreathelptoallofusovertheyears.Youjusthaveto

learnwhentoduck."

Beside Luke, Artoo twittered something. "No, Captain Solo did not tell me to

duck," Threepio told the squat droid stiffly. "What he said was, 'Get ready to

duck.'Ishouldthinkthedifferencewouldbeapparenteventoyou."

Artoobeepedsomethingelse.Threepioignoredit."Well,let'strythisone,"Luke

suggested,pickingupthenextsolventinline.Hewashuntingforacleancloth

amonghispileofrejectswhenLeiacameintothelounge.

"Howishe?"sheasked,walkingoverandpeeringatThreepio.

"He'llbeallright,"Lukeassuredher."Hemayhavetostaylikethisuntilweget

backtoCoruscant,though.Hantoldmethesestokhlisticksareusedmostlyby

big-gamehuntersonout-of-the-wayplanets,andthespraynettheyuseisapretty

exoticmixture."Heindicatedthediscardedsolventbottles.

"Maybe the Bimms can suggest something," Leia said, picking up one of the

bottlesandlookingatitslabel."We'llaskthemwhenwegetbackdown."

Lukefrownedather."We'regoingbackdown?"

She frowned at him in turn. "We have to, Luke—you know that. This is a

diplomatic mission, not a pleasure cruise. It's considered bad form to pull out

rightafteroneofyourshipshasjustshotupamajorlocalmarketplace."

"I would think the Bimmswouldconsiderthemselveslucky that none of their

people got killed in the process," Luke pointed out. "Particularly when what

happenedwasatleastpartlytheirfault."

"Youcan'tblameawholesocietyfortheactionsofafewindividuals,"Leiasaid

—rather severely, Luke thought. "Especially not when a single political

maverickhassimplymadeabaddecision."

"Abaddecision?"Lukesnorted."Isthatwhatthey'recallingit?"

"That'swhatthey'recallingit,"Leianodded."Apparently,theBimmwholedus

intothemarketplacetrapwasbribedtotakeusthere.Hehadnoideawhatwas

goingtohappen,though."

"AndIsupposehehadnoideawhatthestuffhegavethechiefnegotiatorwould

do,either?"

Leia shrugged. "Actually, there's still no hard evidence that he or anyone else

poisonedthenegotiator,"

shesaid."Thoughunderthecircumstances,they'rewillingtoconcedethatthat's

apossibility."

Luke made a face. "Generous of them. What does Han have to say about us

puttingbackdown?"

"Han doesn't have any choice in the matter," Leia said firmly. "This is my

mission,nothis."

"That's right," Han agreed, stepping into the lounge. "Your mission. But my

ship."

Leiastaredathim,alookofdisbeliefonherface."Youdidn't,"shebreathed.

"Isuredid,"hetoldhercalmly,droppingintooneoftheseatsacrossthelounge.

"Wemadethejumptolightspeedabouttwominutesago.Nextstop,Coruscant."

"Han!" she flared, as angry as Luke had ever seen her. "I told the Bimms we

werecomingrightbackdown."

"AndItoldthemthere'dbeashortdelay,"Hancountered."Likelongenoughfor

ustocollectasquadronofX-wingsormaybeaStarCruisertobringbackwith

us."

"Andwhatifyou'veoffendedthem?"Leiasnapped."Doyouhaveanyideahow

muchgroundworkwentintothismission?"

"Yeah,asithappens,Ido,"Hansaid,hisvoicehardening."Ialsohaveapretty

good idea what could happen if our late pals with the stokhli sticks brought

friendswiththem."

For a long minute Leia stared at him, and Luke sensed the momentary anger

fadingfromhermind."Youstillshouldn'thaveleftwithoutconsultingmefirst,"

shesaid.

"You're right," Han conceded. "But I didn't want to take the time. If they did

have friends, those friends probably had a ship." He tried a tentative smile.

"Therewasn'ttimetodiscussitincommittee."

Leiasmiledlopsidedlyinreturn."Iamnotacommittee,"shesaidwryly.

Andwiththat,thebriefstormpassedandthetensionwasgone.Someday,Luke

promised himself, he would get around to asking one of them just what that

particularprivatejokeoftheirsreferredto.

"Speakingofourpals,"hesaid,"dideitherofyouhappentoasktheBimmswho

orwhattheywere?"

"TheBimmsdidn'tknow,"Leiasaid,shakingherhead.I'vecertainlyneverseen

anythinglikethembefore."

"WecanchecktheImperialarchiveswhenwegetbacktoCoruscant,"Hansaid,

feeling gingerly at one cheek where a bruise was already becoming visible.

"There'llbearecordofthemsomewhere."

"Unless," Leia said quietly, "they're something the Empire round out in the

UnknownRegions."

Lukelookedather."YouthinktheEmpirewasbehindthis?"

"Whoelsecouldithavebeen?"shesaid."Theonlyquestioniswhy."

"Well, whatever the reason, they're going to be disappointed," Han told her,

gettingtohisfeet."I'mgoingbacktothecockpit,seeifIcanmuddleourcourse

alittlemore.Nopointintakingchances."

A memoryflashedthroughLuke's mind: Han and the Falcon , sweepingright

throughthemiddleofthatfirstDeathStarbattletoshootDarthVader'sfighters

off his back. "Hard to imagine Han Solo not wanting to take chances," he

commented.

Hanleveledafingerathim."Yeah,well,beforeyougetcocky,trytoremember

thatthepeopleI'mprotectingareyou,yoursister,yourniece,andyournephew.

Thatmakeanydifference?"

Lukesmiled."Touche,"headmitted,salutingwithanimaginarylightsaber.

"Andspeakingofthat,"Hanadded,"isn'titabouttimeLeiahadalightsaberof

herown?"

Lukeshrugged."Icanmakeheroneanytimeshe'sready,"hesaid,lookingathis

sister."Leia?"

Leiahesitated."Idon'tknow,"sheconfessed."I'veneverreallyfeltcomfortable

withthethings."ShelookedatHan."ButIsupposeIoughttomaketheeffort."

"I think you should," Luke agreed. "Your talents may lie along a different

direction,butyoushouldstilllearnallthebasics.AsfarasIcantell,nearlyall

theJedioftheOldRepubliccarriedlightsabers,eventhosewhowereprimarily

healersorteachers."

Shenodded."Allright,"shesaid."Assoonasmyworkloadlightensupalittle."

" Before your work load lightens," Han insisted. "I mean that, Leia. All these

wonderfuldiplomacyskillsof yoursaren'tgoingto doyouoranyoneelseany

goodiftheEmpirelocksyouawayinaninterrogationroomsomewhere."

Reluctantly,Leianoddedagain."Isupposeyou'reright.Assoonaswegetback,

I'lltellMonMothmashe'sjustgoingtohavetocutdownonmyassignments."

ShesmiledatLuke."Iguesssemesterbreak'sover,Teacher."

"Iguessso,"Lukesaid,tryingtohidethesuddenlumpinhisthroat.

Leianoticeditanyway;and,forawonder,misinterpretedit."Oh,comeon,"she

chidedgently."I'mnotthatbadastudent.Anyway,lookonitasgoodpractice—

afterall,somedayyou'llhavetoteachallthistothetwins,too."

"Iknow,"Lukesaidsoftly.

"Good,"Hansaid."That'ssettled,then.I'mheadingup;seeyoulater."

"'Bye,"Leiasaid."Now—"She turnedtogiveThreepioacriticallook."Let's

seewhatwecandoaboutallthisgoop."

Leaning back in his seat, Luke watched her tackle the hardened webbing, a

familiarhollowpaininthepitofhisstomach.Itookituponmyself,BenKenobi

hadsaidaboutDarthVader,totrainhimasaJedi.IthoughtthatIcouldinstruct

himjustaswellasYoda.

Iwaswrong.

ThewordsechoedthroughLuke'smind,allthewaybacktoCoruscant.

Chapter8

For a long minute Grand Admiral Thrawn sat in his chair, surrounded by his

holographicworksofart,andsaidnothing.Pellaeonkepthimselfatamotionless

attention, watching the other's expressionless face and glowing red eyes and

tryingnottothinkaboutthefatecouriersofbadnewshadoftensufferedatthe

handsofLordVader."Alldiedbutthecoordinator,then?"Thrawnaskedatlast.

"Yes, sir," Pellaeon confirmed. He glanced across the room, to where C'baoth

stoodstudyingoneofthewalldisplays,andloweredhisvoiceabit."We'restill

notentirelysurewhatwentwrong."

"Instruct Central to give the coordinator a thorough debriefing," Thrawn said.

"WhatreportfromWayland?"

Pellaeonhadthoughtthey'dbeentalkingtooquietlyforC'baothtohearthem.He

waswrong."Isthatit,then?"C'baothdemanded,turningawayfromthedisplay

and striding over to tower over Thrawn's command chair. "Your Noghri have

failed; so too bad, and on to more pressing business? You promised me Jedi,

GrandAdmiralThrawn."

Thrawngazedcoollyupathim."IpromisedyouJedi,"heacknowledged."AndI

willdeliverthem."

Deliberately, he turned back to Pellaeon. "What report from Wayland?" he

repeated.

Pellaeon swallowed, trying hard to remember that with ysalamiri scattered all

throughthecommandroom,C'baothhadnopowerwhatsoever.Atleastforthe

moment."Theengineeringteamhasfinishedits analysis,sir,"hetoldThrawn.

"They report that the cloaking shield schematics seem complete, but that to

actuallybuildonewilltakesometime.It'llalsobehighlyexpensive,atleastfor

ashipthesizeoftheChimaera."

"Fortunately, they won't have to start with anything nearly this big," Thrawn

said, handing Pellaeon a data card. "Here are the specs for what we'll need at

SluisVan."

"The shipyards?" Pellaeon frowned, taking the data card. The Grand Admiral

had so far been very secretive about both his goals and the strategy for that

attack.

"Yes.Oh,andwe'realsogoingtoneedsomeadvancedminingmachines—mole

miners, I believe they're informally called. Have Intelligence start a records

search;we'llneedaminimumofforty."

"Yes,sir."Pellaeonmadeanoteonhisdatapad."Oneotherthing,sir."Hethrew

aquickglanceatC'baoth."Theengineersalsoreportthatnearlyeightypercent

oftheSpaarticylinderswe'llneedarefunctionalorcanberestoredtoworking

orderwithrelativeease."

"Spaarticylinders?"C'baothfrowned."Whatarethose?"

"Just that other little bit of technology I was hoping to find in the mountain,"

Thrawnsoothedhim,throwingaquickwarninglookinPellaeon'sdirection.An

unnecessary precaution; Pellaeon had already decided that discussing Spaarti

cylinders with C'baoth would not be a smart thing to do. "So. Eighty percent.

That's excellent, Captain. Excellent." A gleam came into those glowing eyes.

"HowverythoughtfuloftheEmperortohaveleftsuchfineequipmentforusto

rebuild his Empire with. What about the mountain's power and defense

systems?"

"Alsooperational,forthemostpart,"Pellaeonsaid."Threeofthefourreactors

havealreadybeenbroughtonline.Someofthemoreesotericdefensesseemto

have decayed, but what's left should defend the storehouse more than

adequately."

"Again,excellent,"Thrawnnodded.Thebriefflickerofemotionwasgone,and

hewasallcoolbusinessagain."Instructthemtobeginbringingthecylindersto

fulloperationalstatus.TheDeath'sHeadshouldarrivewithintwoorthreedays

with the extra specialists and two hundred ysalamiri they'll need to get things

started. At that point—" he smiled faintly "—we'll be ready to begin the

operationinearnest.

BeginningwiththeSluisVanshipyards."

"Yes, sir." Pellaeon glanced at C'baoth again. "And about Skywalker and his

sister?"

"We'll use Team Four next," the Grand Admiral said. "Transmit a message

telling them to withdraw from their current assignment and stand ready for

furtherorders."

"You want me to transmit the message, sir?" Pellaeon asked. "Not that I'm

questioning the order," he added hastily. "But in the past you've usually

preferredtocontactthemyourself."

Thrawn's eyebrows lifted slightly. "Team Eight failed me," he said softly.

"Sending the message through you will let the others know how displeased I

am."

"AndwhenTeam Four also failsyou?"C'baoth put in. "Theywill, you know.

Will you be merely displeased with them, too? Or will you admit your

professionalkillingmachinessimplycan'thandleaJedi?"

"They'veneveryetmetanyfoetheycan'thandle,MasterC'baoth,"Thrawnsaid

coolly."Onegrouporanotherwillsucceed.Untilthen—"Heshrugged."Afew

Noghri,moreorless,won'tseriouslydrainourresources."

Pellaeon winced, throwing a reflexive glance at the chamber door. Rukh, he

suspected,wouldn'tbenearlythatphlegmaticaboutthecasuallyproposeddeaths

ofsomeofhispeople."Ontheotherhand,Admiral,thisattemptwillhaveput

themontheirguard,"hepointedout.

"He's right," C'baoth said, jabbing a finger in Pellaeon's direction. "You can't

foolaJeditwicewiththesametrick."

"Perhaps," Thrawn said, the word polite but his tone not conceding anything.

"Whatalternative do yousuggest? Thatweconcentrate onhis sister andleave

himalone?"

"Thatyouconcentrateonhissister,yes,"C'baothagreedloftily."Ithinkitbest

thatIdealwiththeyoungJedimyself."

Again,theeyebrowswentup."Andhowwouldyouproposetodothat?"

C'baothsmiled."HeisaJedi;IamaJedi.IfIcall,hewillcometome."

ForalongmomentThrawnlookedupathim."Ineedyouwithmyfleet,"hesaid

at last. "Preparations for the assault on the Rebellion's Sluis Van space dock

facilities have already begun. Some of the preliminaries to that assault will

requireaJediMaster'scoordination."

C'baoth drew himself up to his full height. "My assistance was promised only

uponyourpromisetodelivermyJeditome.Iwillhavethem, GrandAdmiral

Thrawn."

Thrawn'sglowingeyesboredintoC'baoth's."DoesaJediMastergobackonhis

word,then?YouknewthatobtainingSkywalkerforyoumighttakesometime."

"Allthemorereasonformetobeginnow,"C'baothshotback.

"Whycan'twedoboth?"Pellaeoncutin.

Bothlookedathim."Explain,Captain,"Thrawnordered,ahintofthreataudible

inhistone.

Pellaeongrittedhisteeth,butitwastoolatetobackoutnow."Wecouldbegin

by starting rumors of your presence somewhere, Master C'baoth," he said.

"Somesparselypopulatedworldwhereyoumighthavelivedforyearswithout

anyonereallynoticing.Rumorsofthatsortwouldbecertaintomaketheirway

back to the New Rep— to the Rebellion," he corrected, glancing at Thrawn.

"ParticularlywiththenameJorusC'baothattachedtothem."

C'baothsnorted."Andyouthinkthatonthestrengthofanidlerumorhe'llrush

foolishlytofindme?"

"Lethimbeascautiousashelikes,"Thrawnsaidthoughtfully,thethreatgone

from his voice. "Let him bring half the Rebellion's forces with him, if he

chooses.Therewillbenothingtheretoconnectyoutous."

Pellaeonnodded."Andwhilewefindasuitableplanetandstarttherumorsinto

motion, you can remain here to assist with the Sluis Van preliminaries.

Hopefully,theirresponsetoouractivitieswillkeepSkywalkertoobusytocheck

outthestoriesuntilaftertheSluisVanpartisover."

"Andifnot,"Thrawnadded,"we'llknowwhenhemakeshismove,andinplenty

oftimetogetyouthereaheadofhim."

"Hmm," C'baoth murmured, stroking his long beard, his gaze drifting off to

infinity.Pellaeonheldhisbreath...andafteraminutetheotherabruptlynodded.

"Verywell,"hesaid."Theplanissound.Iwillgotomychambersnow,Grand

AdmiralThrawn,andchooseaworldfromwhichtomakemyappearance."

Withanalmostregalnodtoeachofthem,hestrodeout.

"Congratulations, Captain," Thrawn said, eyeing Pellaeon coolly. "Your idea

seemstohavecaughtMasterC'baoth'sfancy."

Pellaeonforcedhimselftomeetthatgaze."Iapologize,Admiral,ifIspokeout

ofturn."

Thrawn smiled faintly. "You served too long under Lord Vader, Captain," he

said."Ihavenoqualmsaboutacceptingausefulideamerelybecauseitwasn't

myown.Mypositionandegoarenotatstakehere."

Except, perhaps, when dealing with C'baoth... "Yes, sir," Pellaeon said aloud.

"With your permission, Admiral, I'll go prepare those transmissions to the

WaylandandNoghriteams."

"Atyourconvenience,Captain.Andcontinuetomonitorthepreparationsforthe

SluisVanoperation."

Thrawn'sglowingeyesseemedtoboreintohis."Monitorthemclosely,Captain.

With Mount Tantiss and Sluis Van both, the long path to victory over the

Rebellionwillhavebegun.With,orevenwithout,ourJediMaster."



In theory, Inner Council meetings were supposed to be a quieter, more casual

sort of encounter than the more formal Provisional Council things. In actual

practice,Hanhadlongagofoundout,anInnerCouncilgrillingcouldbejustas

roughasbeingrakedoverthefiresbythelargergroup.

"Letmegetthisstraight,then,CaptainSolo,"BorskFey'lyasaidwithhisusual

oily politeness. "You, alone, and without consultation with anyone in official

authority,madethedecisiontocanceltheBimmisaarimission."

"I'vealreadysaidthat,"Hantoldhim.HefeltlikesuggestingtotheBothanthat

hepaybetterattention.

"I'vealsostatedmyreasonsfordoingso."

"Which,inmyopinion,weregoodandproperones,"AdmiralAckbar'sgravelly

voice interjected in Han's support. "Captain Solo's duty at that point was

abundantlyclear:toprotecttheambassadorinhischargeandtoreturnsafelyto

alertus."

"Alert us to what?" Fey'lya countered. "Forgive me, Admiral, but I don't

understand what exactly this threat is we're supposedly facing. Whoever these

gray-skinnedbeingswere,theyclearlyweren'tconsideredimportantenoughby

the Old Senate to even be included in the records. I doubt a race that

insignificantislikelytobecapableofmountingamajoroffensiveagainstus."

"Wedon'tknowthatthat'sthereasontheyaren'tintherecords,"Leiaputin."It

couldsimplybeanoversightorgapdamage."

"Orelseadeliberateerasure,"Lukesaid.

Fey'lya's fur rippled, indicating polite disbelief. "And why would the Imperial

Senatewanttoerasetherecordsofanentirerace'sexistence?"

"Ididn'tsayitwasnecessarilytheSenate'sidea,"Lukesaid."Maybethealiens

themselvesdestroyedtheirrecords."

Fey'lyasniffed."Farfetched.Evenifitwaspossible,whywouldanyonewantto

doit?"

"Perhaps Councilor Organa Solo can answer that," Mon Mothma interjected

calmly,lookingatLeia.

"YouweremoreinvolvedintheinformationalsideoftheImperialSenatethanI

was,Leia.Wouldsuchamanipulationhavebeenpossible?"

"Ireallydon't know," Leiasaid, shaking herhead."I never gotall that deeply

into the actual mechanics of how the Senate's records were handled. Common

wisdom, though, wouldsuggestthatit's impossible to create a security system

thatcan'tbebrokenbysomeonedeterminedenoughtodoit."

"Thatstilldoesn'tanswerthequestionofwhythesealiensofyourswouldbethat

determined,"Fey'lyasniffed.

"MaybetheysawtheOldRepublic'scomingdemise,"Leiatoldhim,hervoice

starting to sound a little irritated. "They might have erased all references to

themselvesandtheirworldinhopestherisingEmpiremightnotnoticethem."

Fey'lyawasfast,allright;Hanhadtogivehimthat."Inthatcase,"theBothan

smoothlyswitchedgears,"perhapsafearofrediscoverywasallthatmotivated

thisattack,aswell."HelookedatAckbar.

"Regardless,Iseenoreasontomakeafull-fledgedmilitaryoperationoutofthis.

Toreduceourgloriousforcestothelevelofamerediplomaticentourageisan

insulttotheircourageandtheirfightingspirit."

"Youcandispensewiththespeeches,Councilor,"Ackbarrumbled."Noneofour

'gloriousforces'areheretobeimpressedbythem."

"IsayonlywhatIfeel,Admiral,"Fey'lyasaid,withthatairofwoundedpridehe

didsowell.

Ackbar'seyesswiveledtowardFey'lya—"Iwonder,"Leiaspokeupquickly,"if

we could get back to the original subject here. I presume it hasn't escaped

anyone's notice that, whatever their motivation, the aliens were ready and

waitingforuswhenwereachedBimmisaari."

"We're going to need tighter security for these missions, obviously," Ackbar

said. "At both ends—your attackers did suborn a local Bimm politician, after

all."

"Allofwhich will cost thatmuch more time andeffort,"Fey'lya murmured, a

sectionofhisfurrippling.

"It can't be helped," Mon Mothma said firmly. "If we don't protect our

negotiators, the New Republic will stagnate and wither. Accordingly—" she

looked at Ackbar "—you will detail a force to accompany Councilor Organa

SoloonhertripbacktoBimmisaaritomorrow."

Tomorrow? Han threw a sharp look at Leia, got an equally surprised look in

return."Excuseme,"hesaid,raisingafinger."Tomorrow?"

MonMothmalookedathim,anexpressionofmildsurpriseonherface."Yes,

tomorrow.TheBimmsarestillwaiting,Captain."

"Iknow,but—"

"What Han is trying to say," Leia jumped in, "is that I had intended at this

meetingtoaskforabriefleaveofabsencefrommydiplomaticduties."

"I'mafraidthat'simpossible,"MonMothmasaidwithaslightfrown."There'sfar

toomuchworktobedone."

"We'renottalkingaboutavacationhere,"Hantoldher,tryingtorememberhis

diplomaticmanners.

"LeianeedsmoretimetoconcentrateonherJeditraining."

Mon Mothma pursed her lips, throwing glances at Ackbar and Fey'lya. "I'm

sorry," shesaid, shaking her head. "I,ofall people, recognize theneed to add

newJeditoourranks.Butfornowtherearesimplytoomanyurgentdemandson

our time." She looked at Fey'lya again—almost, Han thought sourly, as if

seekinghispermission."Inanotheryear—possiblysooner,"sheadded,glancing

atLeia'sstomach,"we'llhaveenoughexperienceddiplomatsforyoutodevote

the bulk of your time to your studies. But right now I'm afraid we need you

here."

Foralong,awkwardmomenttheroomwassilent.Ackbarspokefirst."Ifyou'll

excuseme,I'llgoandhavethatescortforceprepared."

"Of course," Mon Mothma nodded. "Unless there's something more, we stand

adjourned."

And that was that. Jaw clenched tightly, Han began collecting his data cards

together."Youallright?"

Leiaaskedquietlyfrombesidehim.

"Youknow,itwasaloteasierbackwhenwewerejusttakingontheEmpire,"he

growled. He threw a glare across the table at Fey'lya. "At least then we knew

whoourenemieswere."

Leia squeezed his arm. "Come on," she said. "Let's go see if they've gotten

Threepiocleanedupyet."

Chapter9

The tactical officer stepped up to the Chimera 's bridge command station,

bringing his heels smartly together. "All units signal ready, Admiral," he

reported.

"Excellent,"Thrawnsaid,hisvoiceglaciallycalm."Prepareforlightspeed."

PellaeonthrewaglanceattheGrandAdmiral,thenreturnedhisattentiontothe

bank of tactical and status readouts facing him. To the readouts, and to the

blacknessoutsidethatseemedtohaveswalloweduptherestofPellaeon'sfive-

shiptaskforce.Three-thousandthsofalight-yearaway,theBpfasshsystem'ssun

was a mere pinprick, indistinguishable from the other stars blazing all around

them.

Conventional military wisdom frowned on this business of picking a spot just

outsidethetargetsystemasajumping-offpoint—itwasconsidereddangerously

easyforone ormoreships togetlost onthewaytosucharendezvous,andit

wasdifficulttomakeanaccuratehyperspacejumpoversoshortadistance.

HeandThrawn,infact,hadhadalongandbarelycivilizedargumentoverthe

ideathefirsttimetheGrandAdmiralhadincludeditinoneofhisattackplans.

Now,afternearlyayearofpractice,theprocedurehadbecomealmostroutine.

Perhaps,Pellaeonthought,theChimera'screwwasn'tasinexperiencedastheir

ignoranceofpropermilitaryprotocolsometimesmadethemseem.

"Captain?Ismyflagshipready?"

Pellaeon brought his mind back to the business at hand. All ship defenses

showed ready; the TIE fighters in their bays were manned and poised. "The

Chimaeraisfullyatyourcommand,Admiral,"hesaid,theformalquestionand

responseaghostlyremembranceofthedayswhenpropermilitaryprotocolwas

theorderofthedaythroughoutthegalaxy.

"Excellent,"Thrawnsaid.Heswiveledinhischairtofacethefigureseatednear

therearofthebridge.

"MasterC'baoth,"henodded."Aremyothertwotaskforcesready?"

"Theyare,"C'baothsaidgravely."Theyawaitmerelymycommand."

Pellaeon winced and threw another glance at Thrawn. But the Grand Admiral

hadapparentlydecidedtoletthecommentpass."Thencommandthem,"hetold

C'baoth, reaching up to stroke the ysalamir draped across the framework

fastenedtohischair."Captain:beginthecount."

"Yes, sir." Pellaeon reached to his board, touched the timer switch. Scattered

around them, the other ships would be locking onto that signal, all of them

countingdowntogether...

Thetimerwenttozero,andwithaflareofstarlinesthroughtheforwardports,

theChimaerajumped.

Ahead,thestarlinesfadedintothemottlingofhyperspace."Speed,PointThree,"

the helmsman in the crew pit below called out, confirming the readout on the

displays.

"Acknowledged," Pellaeon said, flexing his fingers once and settling his mind

intocombatmodeashewatchedthetimernowcountingupfromzero.Seventy

seconds; seventy-four, seventy-five, seventy-six— The starlines flared again

through the mottled sky, and shrank back into stars, and the Chimaera had

arrived.

"Allfighters:launch,"Pellaeoncalled,throwingaquicklookatthetacticalholo

floating over his display bank. They had come out of hyperspace exactly as

planned, within easy striking range of the double planet of Bpfassh and its

complicatedsystemofmoons."Response?"hecalledtothetacticalofficer.

"Defending fighters launching from the third moon," the other reported.

"Nothinglargervisibleasyet."

"Getalocationonthatfighterbase,"Thrawnordered,"anddetailtheInexorable

tomoveinanddestroyit."

"Yes,sir."

Pellaeon could see the fighters now, coming at them like a swarm of angry

insects.OffontheChimera'sstarboardflank,theStarDestroyerInexorablewas

movingtowardtheirbase,itsTIEfighterwedgesweepingaheadofittoengage

thedefenders."Changecoursetothefartherofthetwinplanets,"heorderedthe

helmsman."TIEfighterstosetupanadvancescreen.TheJudicatorwilltakethe

otherplanet."HelookedatThrawn."Anyspecialorders,Admiral?"

Thrawn was gazing at a mid-distance scan of the twin planets. "Stay with the

programfornow,Captain,"

hesaid."Our preliminary dataappear to havebeenadequate; you maychoose

targets at will. Remind your gunners once again that the plan is to hurt and

frighten,notobliterate."

"Relay that," Pellaeon nodded toward the communications station. "Have TIE

fighterssoreminded,aswell."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Thrawn turn. "Master C'baoth?" he said.

"What'sthestatusoftheattacksintheothertwosystems?"

"Theyproceed."

Frowning,Pellaeonswiveledaround.IthadbeenC'baoth'svoice,butsothroaty

andstrainedastobenearlyunrecognizable.

Aswas,indeed,hisappearance.

For a long moment Pellaeon stared at him, a cold feeling in the pit of his

stomach. C'baoth sat with unnatural stiffness, his eyes closed but visibly and

rapidlymovingbehindthelids.Hishandsgrippedthearmsofhischair,andhis

lipswerepressedsotightlytogetherthatthe veinsandcordsin hisneckstood

out."Areyouallright,MasterC'baoth?"heasked.

"Save your concern, Captain," Thrawn told him coldly. "He's doing what he

enjoysmost:controllingpeople."

C'baothmadeasoundsomewherebetweenasnortandaderisivechuckle."Itold

youonce,GrandAdmiralThrawn,thatthisisnottruepower."

"So you've said," Thrawn said, his tone neutral. "Can you tell what sort of

resistancethey'refacing?"

C'baoth'sfrowning facefrownedharder."Notprecisely.Butneither forceis in

danger.ThatmuchIcanfeelintheirminds."

"Good. Then have the Nemesis break off from the rest of its group and report

backtotherendezvoustoawaitus."

PellaeonfrownedattheGrandAdmiral."Sir—?"

Thrawn turned to him, a warning gleam in his glowing eyes. "Attend to your

duties,Captain,"hesaid.

—and with a sudden flash of insight, Pellaeon realized that this multiedged

attackonNewRepublicterritorywasmorethansimplypartofthesetupforthe

SluisVan raid.It was,in addition,atest.AtestofC'baoth'sabilities,yes; but

also a test of his willingness to accept orders. "Yes, Admiral," Pellaeon

murmured,andturnedbacktohisdisplays.

TheChimaerawasinrangenow,andtinysparksstartedtoappearonthetactical

holo as the ship's huge turbolaser batteries began firing. Communications

stations flared and went black; planetside industrial targets flared, went dark,

thenflared againas secondaryfireswereignited.Apairof oldCarrack -class

light cruisers swept in from starboard, the Chimera 's TIE fighter screen

breaking formation to engage them. Off in the distance, the Stormhawk 's

batterieswereblazingagainstanorbitingdefenseplatform;andevenasPellaeon

watched,thestationflaredintovapor.Thebattleseemedtobegoingwell.

Remarkablywell,infact...

AnunpleasantfeelingbegantostirinthepitofPellaeon'sstomachashechecked

his board's real-time status readout. Thus far the Imperial forces had lost only

three TIE fighters and sustained superficial damage to the Star Destroyers,

compared to eight of the enemy's line ships and eighteen of its fighters gone.

Granted,theImperialsvastlyoutgunnedthedefenders.Butstill...

Slowly,reluctantly,Pellaeonreachedtohisboard.Afewweeksbackhe'dmade

upastatisticalcompositeoftheChimera'sbattleprofilesforthepastyear.He

calleditup,superimposeditoverthecurrentanalysis.

There was no mistake. In every single category and subcategory of speed,

coordination,efficiency,andaccuracy,theChimaeraanditscrewwererunning

nolessthan40percentmoreeffectivethanusual.

HeturnedtolookatC'baoth'sstrainedface,anicyshiverrunninguphisback.

He'dneverreallyboughtintoThrawn'stheoryastohowandwhytheFleethad

lost the Battle of Endor. Certainly he'd never wanted to believe it. But now,

suddenly,theissuewasnolongeropentoargument.

And with the bulk of his attention and power on the task of mentally

communicatingwithtwoothertaskforcesnearlyfourlight-yearsaway,C'baoth

stillhadenoughlefttodoallthis.

Pellaeonhadwondered,withacertainprivatecontempt,justwhathadgiventhe

oldmantherighttoaddthewordMastertohistitle.Now,heknew.

"Gettinganothersetoftransmissions,"thecommunicationsofficerreported."A

newgroupofmidrangeplanetarycruiserslaunching."

"HavetheStormhawkmovetointercept,"Thrawnordered.

"Yes,sir.We'venowalsopinpointedthelocationoftheirdistresstransmissions,

Admiral."

Shakingawayhismusings,Pellaeonglancedacrosstheholo.Thenewlyflashing

circlewasonthefarthestofthesystem'smoons."OrderSquadronFourtomove

inanddestroyit,"heordered.

"Belay that,"Thrawnsaid."We'll be long gone before any reinforcements can

arrive. We might as well let the Rebellion waste its resources rushing useless

forces to the rescue. In fact—" the Grand Admiral consulted his watch "—I

believeit'stimeforus totakeour leave.Orderfightersbackto theirships;all

shipstolightspeedassoonastheirfightersareaboard."

Pellaeon tapped keys at his station, giving the Chimera 's status a quick

prelightspeedcheck.AnotherbitofconventionalmilitarywisdomwasthatStar

Destroyersshouldplaytheroleofmobilesiegestationsinthiskindoffull-planet

engagement;that toemploy themin hit-and-fadeoperationswasboth wasteful

andpotentiallydangerous.

Butthen,proponentsofsuchtheorieshadobviouslyneverwatchedsomeonelike

GrandAdmiralThrawninaction.

"Order the other two forces to break off their attacks, as well," Thrawn told

C'baoth."Ipresumeyouareincloseenoughcontacttodothat?"

"You question me too much, Grand Admiral Thrawn," C'baoth said, his voice

evenhuskierthanithadbeenearlier."Fartoomuch."

"Iquestionallthatisnotyetfamiliartome,"Thrawncountered,swivelingback

aroundagain."Callthembacktotherendezvouspoint."

"Asyoucommand,"theotherhissed.

Pellaeon glanced back at C'baoth. Testing the other's abilities under combat

conditionswasallgoodandproper.Buttherewassuchathingas pushingtoo

far.

"He must learn who's in command here," Thrawn said quietly, as if reading

Pellaeon'sthoughts.

"Yes, sir," Pellaeon nodded, forcing his voice to remain steady. Thrawn had

provedtimeandagainthatheknewwhathewasdoing.Still,Pellaeoncouldn't

help but wonder uneasily if the Grand Admiral recognized the extent of the

powerhe'dawakenedfromitssleeponWayland.

Thrawnnodded."Good.Havetherebeenanyfurtherleadsonthosemoleminers

Iaskedfor?"

"Ah—no, sir." A year ago, too, he would have found a strange unreality in

conversing about less than urgent matters while in the middle of a combat

situation."Atleastnotinanythinglikethenumbersyouwant.IthinktheAthega

system'sstillourbestbet.Oritwillbeifwecanfindawayaroundtheproblems

ofthesunlightintensitythere."

"Theproblemswillbeminimal,"Thrawnsaidwitheasyconfidence."Ifthejump

isdonewithsufficientaccuracy,thejudicatorwillbeindirectsunlightforonly

afewminutes each way.Itshull can certainlyhandle that much.We'llsimply

needtotakeafewdaysfirsttoshieldtheviewportsandremoveexternalsensors

andcommunicationsequipment."

Pellaeonnodded,swallowinghisnextquestion.Therewould,ofcourse,benone

ofthedifficultiesthatwouldnormallyarisefromblindinganddeafeningaStar

Destroyerinthatway.NotaslongasC'baothwaswiththem.

"GrandAdmiralThrawn?"

Thrawnturnedaround."Yes,MasterC'baoth?"

"WherearemyJedi,GrandAdmiralThrawn?Youpromisedmethatyourtame

NoghriwouldbringmemyJedi."

Outofthecornerofhiseye,PellaeonsawRukhstir."Patience,MasterC'baoth,"

Thrawntoldhim.

"Theirpreparationstooktime,butthey'renowcomplete.Theyawaitmerelythe

propertimetoact."

"Thattimehadbestbesoon,"C'baothwarnedhim."Igrowtiredofwaiting."

ThrawnthrewaglanceatPellaeon,aquietlysmolderinglookinhisglowingred

eyes."Asdoweall,"hesaidquietly.



Far ahead of the freighter Wild Karrde , one of the Imperial Star Destroyers

centeredinthe cockpit's forwardviewportgave a flickerof pseudomotion and

disappeared."They'releaving,"Maraannounced.

"What,already?"Karrdesaidfrombehindher,hisvoicefrowning.

"Already,"sheconfirmed,keyingthehelmdisplayfortactical."OneoftheStar

Destroyers just went to lightspeed; the others are breaking off and starting

prelightspeedmaneuvering."

"Interesting," Karrde murmured, coming up to look out the viewport over her

shoulder."Ahit-and-fadeattack—andwithStarDestroyers,yet.Notsomething

youseeeveryday."

"I heard about something like that happening over at the Draukyze system a

couple of months back," the copilot, a bulky man named Lachton, offered.

"Same kind of hit-and-fade, except there was only one Star Destroyer on that

one."

"Ataguess,I'dsaywe'reseeingGrandAdmiralThrawn'sinfluenceonImperial

strategy,"Karrdesaid,histonethoughtfulwithjustahintofconcernmixedin.

"Strange, though. He seems to be taking an inordinate amount of risk for the

potentialbenefitsinvolved.Iwonderwhatexactlyhe'supto."

"Whatever it is, it'll be something complicated," Mara told him, hearing the

bitternessinhervoice.

"Thrawnwasneveronetodothingssimply.Evenbackintheolddayswhenthe

Empirewascapableofstyleorsubtlety,hestoodoutabovetherest."

"You can't afford to be simple when your territory's shrinking the way the

Empire'shasbeen."Karrdepaused,andMaracouldfeelhimgazingdownather.

"YouseemtoknowsomethingabouttheGrandAdmiral."

"I know something about a lot of things," she countered evenly. "That's why

you'regroomingmetobeyourlieutenant,remember?"

"Touche,"hesaideasily."—theregoesanotherone."

Mara looked out the viewport in time to see a third Star Destroyer go to

lightspeed.Onemoretogo.

"Shouldn'twegetmoving?"sheaskedKarrde."Thatlastonewillbegoneina

minute."

"Oh, we're scratching the delivery," he told her. "I just thought it might be

instructive to watch the battle, as long as we happened to be here at the right

time."

Mara frowned up at him. "What do you mean, we're scratching the delivery?

They'reexpectingus."

"Yes,theyare,"henodded."Unfortunately,asofrightnow,thewholesystemis

alsoexpecting a smallhornet's nestofNew Republicships.Hardly thesort of

atmosphereonewouldliketoflyintowithashiploadofcontrabandmaterials."

"Whatmakesyouthinkthey'llcome?"Marademanded."They'renotgoingtobe

intimetodoanything."

"No,butthat'snotreallythepointofsuchashow,"Karrdesaid."Thepointisto

score domestic political gains by bustling around, presenting a comforting

displayofforce,andotherwiseconvincingthelocalsthatsomethinglikethiscan

neverhappenagain."

"Andpromisingtohelpcleanupthewreckage,"Lachtonputin.

"Thatgoeswithoutsaying,"Karrdeagreeddryly."Regardless,it'snotasituation

wereallywanttoflyinto.We'llsendatransmissionfromournextstoptelling

themwe'lltrytomakedeliveryagaininaweek."

"Istilldon'tlikeit,"Marainsisted."Wepromisedthemwe'ddoit.Wepromised

Therewas ashortpause."It'sstandard procedure,"Karrde toldher, atouch of

curiosityalmosthiddenbeneaththeusualurbanesmoothnessofhisvoice."I'm

surethey'dpreferlatedeliverytolosingtheentireshipment."

With an effort, Mara forced the black haze of memory away. Promises... "I

suppose so," she conceded, blinking her attention back to the control board.

While they'd been talking, the last Star Destroyer had apparently gone to

lightspeed,leavingnothingbehindbutenragedandimpotentdefendersandmass

destruction. A mess for the New Republic's politicians and military people to

cleanup.

Foramomentshegazedoutatthedistantplanets.WonderingifLukeSkywalker

mightbeamongthose

theNewRepublicwouldsendtohelpcleanupthatmess.

"Wheneveryou'reready,Mara."

Withaneffort,sheshookawaythethought."Yes,sir,"shesaid,reachingforthe

board.Notyet,shetoldherselfsilently.Notyet.Butsoon.Very,verysoon.



Theremoteswooped;hesitated;swoopedagain;hesitatedagain;swoopedonce

moreandfired.Leia,swinginghernewlightsaberinanoverlargearc,wasjusta

shadetooslow."Gah!"shegrunted,takingastepbackward.

"You're not giving the Force enough control," Luke told her. "You have to—

Waitaminute."

Reaching out with the Force, he put the remote on pause. He remembered

vividlythatfirstpracticesessionontheFalcon,whenhe'dhadtoconcentrateon

Ben Kenobi's instructions while at the same time keeping a wary eye on the

remote.Doingbothtogetherhadn'tbeeneasy.

Butperhapsthathadbeenthewholeidea.Perhapsalessonlearnedunderstress

waslearnedbetter.

Hewishedheknew.

"I'm giving it all the control I can," Leia said, rubbing her arm where the

remote's stinger blast had caught her. "I just don't have the proper techniques

downyet."Sheimpaledhimwithalook."OrelseIjustwasn'tcutoutforthis

sortoffighting."

"Youcanlearnit,"Lukesaidfirmly."Ilearnedit,andIneverhadanyofthat

self-defensetrainingyougotwhenyouweregrowinguponAlderaan."

"Maybethat'stheproblem,"Leiasaid."Maybeallthoseoldfightingreflexesare

gettinginmyway."

"I suppose that's possible," Luke admitted,wishingheknewthat,too. "In that

case,thesooneryoustartunlearningthem,thebetter.Now:ready—"

The door buzzed. "It's Han," Leia said, stepping away from the remote and

closingdownherlightsaber.

"Comein,"shecalled.

"Hi,"Hansaidashewalkedintotheroom,glancinginturnatLeiaandLuke.He

wasn'tsmiling."How'sthelessongoing?"

"Notbad,"Lukesaid.

"Don'task,"Leiacountered,frowningatherhusband."What'swrong?"

"The Imperials,"Hansaid sourly. "They just pulled a three-prong hit-and-fade

on three systems in the Sluis sector. Some place called Bpfassh and two

unpronounceableones."

Lukewhistledsoftly."Threeatonce.Gettingprettycocky,aren'tthey?"

"Thatseemsparforthemthesedays."Leiashookherhead,theskinaroundher

eyes tight with concentration. "They're up to something, Han—I can feel it.

Somethingbig;something dangerous."Shewaved herhandshelplessly."But I

can'tforthelifeofmefigureoutwhatitcouldbe."

"Yeah,Ackbar'sbeensayingthesamething,"Hannodded."Problemishe'sgot

nothingtobackitup.

Except for the style and tactics, this is all pretty much the same rear-guard

harassmenttheEmpire'sbeenpullingforprobablythelastyearandahalf."

"I know," Leia gritted. "But don't sell Ackbar short—he's got good military

instincts.Nomatterwhatcertainotherpeoplesay."

Hancockedaneyebrow."Hey,sweetheart,I'monyourside.Remember?"

Shesmiledwanly."Sorry.Howbadwasthedamage?"

Hanshrugged."Notnearlyasbadasitcouldhavebeen.Especiallyconsidering

that they hit each place with four Star Destroyers. But all three systems are

prettyshookup."

"Icanimagine,"Leiasighed."Letmeguess:MonMothmawantsmetogoout

thereandassurethemthattheNewRepublicreallyisableandwillingtoprotect

them."

"How'dyouguess?"Hangrowled."Chewie'sgettingtheFalconpreppednow."

"You'renotgoingalone,areyou?"Lukeasked."AfterBimmisaari—"

"Oh,don'tworry,"Hansaid,throwinghimatightsmile."We'renotgoingtobe

sittingducksthistime.

There'satwenty-shipconvoygoingouttoassessthedamage, plusWedgeand

RogueSquadron.It'llbesafeenough."

"That'swhatwesaidaboutBimmisaari,too,"Lukepointedout."I'dbettercome

along."

HanlookedatLeia."Well,actually...youcan't."

Lukefrownedathim."Whynot?"

"Because,"Leiaansweredquietly,"theBpfasshidon'tlikeJedi."

Han'sliptwisted."ThestoryisthatsomeoftheirJediwentbadduringtheClone

Warsandreallymangledthingsbeforetheywerestopped.OrsoMonMothma

says."

"She'sright,"Leianodded."Wewerestillgettingechoesofthewholefiascoin

the Imperial Senate when I was serving there. It wasn't just Bpfassh, either—

some of those Dark Jedi escaped and made trouble all throughout the Sluis

sector.OneofthemevengotasfarasDagobahbeforehewascaught."

Luke felt a jolt run through him. Dagobah? "When was that?" he asked as

casuallyaspossible.

"Thirty, thirty-five years ago," Leia said, her forehead creased slightly as she

studiedhisface."Why?"

Luke shook his head. Yoda had never mentioned a Dark Jedi ever being on

Dagobah."Noreason,"hemurmured.

"Comeon,wecandiscusshistorylater,"Hanputin."Thesoonerwegetgoing,

thesoonerwecangetthisoverwith."

"Right,"Leiaagreed,latchingherlightsabertoherbeltandheadingforthedoor.

"I'llgetmytravelbagandgiveWintersomeinstructions.Meetyouattheship."

Lukewatchedherleave;turnedbacktofindHaneyeinghim."Idon'tlikeit,"he

toldtheother.

"Don'tworry—she'llbesafe,"Hanassuredhim."Look,Iknowhowprotective

you'refeelingtowardherthesedays.Butshecan'talwayshaveherbigbrother

standingoverher."

"Actually,we'veneverfiguredoutwhichofusisolder,"Lukemurmured.

"Whatever,"Hanwavedthedetailaway."Thebestthingyoucandoforherright

now is what you're already doing. You make her a Jedi, and she'll be able to

handleanythingtheImperialscanthrowather."

Luke'sstomachtightened."Isupposeso."

"AslongasChewieandmearewithher,thatis,"Hanamended,headingforthe

door."Seeyouwhenwegetback."

"Becareful,"Lukecalledafterhim.

Hanturned,oneofthosehurt/innocentexpressionsonhisface."Hey,"hesaid.

"It'sme."

Heleft,andLukewasalone.

For a few moments he wandered around the room, fighting against the heavy

weightofresponsibilitythatseemedsometimesonthevergeofsmotheringhim.

Riskinghis ownlife wasone thing,but tohave Leia'sfuture inhis handswas

somethingelseentirely."I'mnotateacher,"hecalledaloudintotheemptyroom.

Theonlyresponsewasaflickerofmovementfromthestill-pausedremote.On

sudden impulse, Luke kicked the device to life again, snatching his lightsaber

fromhisbeltasitmovedtotheattack.Adozenstingerblastsshotoutinquick

succession as the remote swooped like a crazed insect; effortlessly, Luke

blocked each in turn, swinging the lightsaber in a flashing arc that seemed to

engulf him, a strange exultation flowing through mind and body. This was

something he could fight—not distant and shadowy like his private fears, but

something solid and tangible. The remote fired again and again, each shot

ricocheting harmlessly from the lightsaber blade— With a sudden beep the

remotestopped.Lukestaredatitinconfusion,wonderingwhathadhappened...

andabruptlyrealizedhewasbreathingheavily.Breathingheavily,andsweating.

Theremotehadatwenty-minutetimelimitbuiltin,andhe'djustcometotheend

ofit.

He closed down the lightsaber and returned it to his belt, feeling a little eerie

aboutwhathadjusthappened.Itwasn'tthefirsttimehe'dlosttrackoftimelike

that,butalwaysbeforeithadbeenduringquietmeditation.Theonlytimesithad

happened in anything like a combat situation were back on Dagobah, under

Yoda'ssupervision.

OnDagobah...

Wipingthesweatoutofhiseyeswithhissleeve,hewalkedovertothecomm

desk in the corner and punched up the spaceport. "This is Skywalker," he

identifiedhimself."I'dlikemyX-wingpreppedforlaunchinonehour."

"Yes,sir,"theyoungmaintenanceofficersaidbriskly."We'llneedyoutosend

overyourastromechunitfirst."

"Right," Luke nodded. He'd refused to let them wipe the X-wing's computer

everyfewmonths,asperstandardprocedure.Theinevitableresultwasthatthe

computer had effectively molded itself around Artoo's unique personality, so

muchsothattherelationshipwasalmostuptotruedroidcounterpartlevel.

It made for excellent operational speed and efficiency; unfortunately, it also

meant that none of the maintenance computers could talk to the X-wing

anymore."I'llhavehimthereinafewminutes."

"Yes,sir."

Lukekeyedoffandstraightenedup,wonderingvaguelywhyhewasdoingthis.

SurelyYoda'spresencewouldnolongerbethereonDagobahforhimtotalkto

oraskquestionsof.

Butthen,perhapsitwould.

Chapter10

"Asyoucansee,"Wedgesaid,hisvoicegrimly conversationalashecrunched

throughplasticandceramicunderfoot,"theplaceissomethingofamess."

"That's for sure," Leia agreed, feeling a little sick as she looked around atthe

flat-bottomed,rubble-strewncrater.AhandfulofotherRepublicrepresentatives

fromherpartywerewanderingaroundthearea,too,holdingquietconversations

withtheirBpfasshiescortsandoccasionallypausingtopickthroughthepieces

of what had once been a major power plant. "How many people died in the

attack?"

sheasked,notatallsureshewantedtoheartheanswer.

"Inthissystem,afewhundred,"Wedgetoldher,consultingadatapad."Nottoo

bad,really."

"No."Involuntarily,Leiaglancedupatthedeepblue-greenskyabovethem.Not

bad,indeed.EspeciallyconsideringthattherehadbeennofewerthanfourStar

Destroyersrainingdestructiondownonthem."Alotofdamage,though."

"Yeah,"Wedgenodded."Butnotnearlyasmuchastherecouldhavebeen."

"Iwonderwhy,"Hanmuttered.

"So does everyone else," Wedge agreed. "It's been the second most popular

questionaroundherethesedays."

"What'sthefirst?"Leiaasked.

"Letmeguess,"HanputinbeforeWedgecouldanswer."Thefirstis,whydid

theybotherpoundingonBpfasshinthefirstplace."

"You got it," Wedge nodded again. "It's not like they didn't have any better

targetstochoosefrom.

You'vegottheSluisVanshipyardsaboutthirtylight-yearsaway,forstarters—a

hundred ships there at any given time, not to mention the docking facilities

themselves. Then there's the Praesitlyn communications station at just under

sixty, and four or five major trade centers within a hundred. An extra day of

traveleachway,tops,atStarDestroyercruisingspeeds.SowhyBpfassh?"

Leiathoughtitover.Itwasagoodquestion."SluisVanitselfisprettyheavily

defended,"shepointedout.

"BetweenourStarCruisersandtheSluissi'sownpermanentbattlestations,any

Imperialleaderwithagramofsensewouldthinktwicebeforetacklingit.And

thoseothersystemsareallalotdeeperintoNewRepublicspacethanBpfassh.

Maybetheydidn'twanttopushtheirluckthatfar."

"While they tested their new transmission system under combat conditions?"

Hansuggesteddarkly.

"We don't know that they've got a new system," Wedge cautioned him.

"Coordinatedsimultaneousattackshavebeendonebefore."

"No." Han shook his head, looking around. "No, they've got something new.

Some kind of booster that lets them punch subspace transmissions through

deflectorshieldsandbattledebris."

"Idon'tthinkit'sabooster,"Leiasaid,ashiverrunningupherback.Something

wasstartingtotingle,waybackattheedgeofhermind."Nooneinanyofthe

threesystemspickedupanytransmissions."

Hanfrowneddownather."Youokay?"heaskedquietly.

"Yes," she murmured, shivering again. "I was just remembering that when—

well, when Darth Vader was having us tortured on Bespin, Luke knew it was

happening from wherever he was at the time. And there were rumors that the

EmperorandVadercoulddothat,too."

"Yeah,butthey'rebothdead,"Hanremindedher."Lukesaidso."

"Iknow,"shesaid.Thetinglingattheedgeofhermindwasgettingstronger...

"ButwhatiftheImperialshavefoundanotherDarkJedi?"

Wedgehadgottenaheadof them,butnowhe turnedback."Youtalkingabout

C'baoth?"

"What?"Leiafrowned.

"JoruusC'baoth,"Wedgesaid."IthoughtIheardyoumentionJedi."

"Idid,"Leiasaid."Who'sJoruusC'baoth?"

"HewasoneofthemajorJediMastersbackinpre-Empiredays,"Wedgesaid.

"SupposedtohavedisappearedbeforetheCloneWarsstarted.Iheardarumora

coupleofdaysagothathe'ssurfacedagainandsetupshoponsomeminorworld

namedJomark."

"Right."Hansnorted."Andhewasjustsittingarounddoingnothingduringthe

Rebellion?"

Wedgeshrugged."Ijustreport'em,General.Idon'tmake'emup."

"We can ask Luke," Leia said. "Maybe he knows something. Are we ready to

moveon?"

"Sure,"Wedgesaid."Theairspeedersareoverthisway—"

Andinasuddenrushofsensation,thetinglinginLeia'smindabruptlyexploded

intocertainknowledge.

"Han,Wedge—duck!"

—andattherimofthecraterahandfulofwell-rememberedgray-skinnedaliens

appeared.

"Cover!" Han shouted to the other Republic reps in the crater as the aliens

openedupwithblasters.

Grabbing Leia's wrist, he dived for the limited protection of a huge but badly

twistedplateofshieldingmetalthathadsomehowgottenitselfdughalfwayinto

the ground. Wedge was right behind them, slamming hard into Leia as he

reachedcover.

"Sorry," he panted in apology, yanking out his blaster and turning to throw a

cautiouslookaroundtheedgeoftheirshelter.Onelookwasallhegotbeforea

blaster bolt spattered metal near his face and sent him jerking back. "I'm not

sure,"hesaid,"butIthinkwe'vegottrouble."

"Ithinkyou'reright,"Hanagreedgrimly.Leiaturnedtoseehim,blasterdrawn,

returninghiscomlinktohisbeltwithhisfreehand."They'velearned.Thistime

they'rejammingourcommunications."

Leia felt cold all over. Way out here, without comlinks, they were as good as

helpless.Totallycutofffromanypossibilityofhelp...

Her hand, reaching automatically for her stomach, brushed her new lightsaber

instead. She pulled it free, a fresh determination pushing past the fear. Jedi or

not,experiencedornot,shewasn'tgoingtogiveupwithoutafight.

"Sounds like you've run into these guys before,"Wedgesaid,reachingaround

thebarriertosqueezeoffacoupleofblindshotsinthegeneraldirectionoftheir

attackers.

"We've met," Han grunted back, trying to get into position for a clear shot.

"Haven'treallyfiguredoutwhattheywant,though."

Leiareachedforherlightsaber'scontrolstud,wonderingifshehadenoughskill

yetto blockblasterfire...andpaused.Overthe noiseof blastersand crackling

metalshecouldhearanewsound.Averyfamiliarsound..."Han!"

"Ihearit,"Hansaid."Waytogo,Chewie."

"What?"Wedgeasked.

"ThatwhineyouhearistheFalcon,"Hantoldhim,leaningbacktolookover

theirshelter."Probablydiscoveredtheywerejammingusandputtwoandtwo

together.Herehecomes."

WithascreamingroarthefamiliarshapeoftheMillenniumFalconswoopedby

overhead. It circled once, ignoring the ineffectual blasts ricocheting from its

underside, and dropped to a bumpy landing directly between them and their

attackers. Peering cautiously around their barrier, Leia saw the ramp lower

towardthem.

"Great,"Hansaid,lookingpasthershoulder."Okay.I'llgofirstandcoveryou

fromthebottomoftheramp.Leia,you'renext;Wedge,you bringupthe rear.

Staysharp—theymaytrytoflankus."

"Gotit,"Wedgenodded."Readywhenyouare."

"Okay."Hangothisfeetunderhim—

"Wait a minute," Leia said suddenly, gripping his arm. "There's something

wrong."

"Right—we'regettingshotat,"Wedgeputin.

"I'mserious,"Leiasnapped."Somethinghere'snotright."

"Likewhat?"Hanasked,frowningather."Comeon,Leia,wecan'tsithereall

day."

Leiagritted herteeth,trying tochase downthefeeling tinglingthrough her.It

was still so nebulous... and then suddenly she had it. "It's Chewie," she told

them."Ican'tfeelhispresenceontheship."

"He'sprobablyjusttoofaraway,"Wedgesaid,adistinctnoteofimpatiencein

hisvoice."Comeon—he'sgoingtogettheshipshotoutfromunderhimifwe

don'tgetgoing."

"Hangonaminute,"Hangrowled,stillfrowningatLeia."He'sokayfornow—

allthey'reusingishandblasters.Anyway, ifthingsgettoohot,hecan always

usethe—"

Hebrokeoff,a strangelookonhisface.Asecondlater,Leiagotit,too."The

undersideswivelblaster,"

shesaid."Whyisn'theusingit?"

"Goodquestion,"Hansaidgrimly.Heleanedoutagain,takingahardlookthis

time...andwhenheduckedbackundercovertherewasasardonichalf-grinon

hisface."Simpleanswer:that'snottheFalcon."

"What?"Wedgeasked,hisjawdroppingacoupleofcentimeters.

"It's a fake," Han told him. "I can't believe it—these guys actually dug up

anotherworkingYT-1300

freightersomewhere."

Wedgewhistledsoftly."Boy,theymustreallywantyoubad."

"Yeah, I'm starting to get that impression myself," Han said. "Got any good

ideas?"

Wedge glanced around the edge of the barrier. "I don't suppose running for it

qualifies."

"Notwiththemsittingoutthereattheedgeofthecraterwaitingtopickusoff,"

Leiatoldhim.

"Yeah,"Hanagreed."Andassoonastheyrealizewe'renotgoingtojustwalk

intotheirdecoy,it'llprobablygetworse."

"Isthere anywaywecanat leastdisable thatship?" Leiaasked him."Keep it

fromtakingoffandattackingusfromabove?"

"Therearelotsofways,"hegrunted."Theproblemisyouhavetobeinsidefor

mostofthem.Theoutside shieldingisn'tgreat,butit blockshandblastersjust

fine."

"Willitblockalightsaber?"

Hethrewasuspiciousfrownather."You'renotsuggesting...?"

"Idon'tthinkwe'vegotanychoice,"shetoldhim."Dowe?"

"Isupposenot,"hegrimaced."Allright—butI'llgo."

Leiashookherhead."Weallgo,"shesaid."Weknowtheywantatleastoneof

usalive—otherwise,they'djusthaveflownbyoverheadandblastedus.Ifweall

gotogether,they won'tbe able tofire. We'll headstraight inasif we'regoing

aboard, then split offtothesidesatthe last second and take cover behind the

ramp.WedgeandIcanfireupandinsidetokeepthembusywhileyoutakethe

lightsaberanddisablethem."

"Idon'tknow,"Hanmuttered."IthinkjustWedgeandmeshouldgo."

"No,ithastobeallofus,"Leiainsisted."That'stheonlywaytoguaranteethey

won'tshoot."

HanlookedatWedge."Whatdoyouthink?"

"Ithinkit'sthebestchancewe'regoingtoget,"theothersaid."Butifwedoit,

we'dbetterdoitfast."

"Yeah."HantookadeepbreathandhandedLeiahisblaster."Allright.Giveme

thelightsaber.Okay;ready...go."

Heduckedoutfromcoverandchargedfortheship,crouchingdownasheranto

avoid the blaster fire crisscrossing the crater—the other Republic reps, Leia

notedassheandWedgefollowed,doingagoodjobofkeepingtherimattackers

busy.Insidetheshipshecouldseeahintofmovement,andshegrippedHan's

blaster a little tighter. A half second in the lead, Han reached the ramp; and

swervingsuddenlytothesideduckedunderthehull.

Thealiens musthave realizedinstantly thattheirtraphadfailed.Evenas Leia

andWedgeskiddedtoahaltatoppositesidesoftheramp,theyweregreetedby

aburstofblasterfirefromtheopenhatch.

Droppingtotheground,Leiasquirmedasfarbackasshecouldundertheramp,

firingblindlyintothehatchtodiscouragethoseinsidefromcomingdownafter

them.Acrosstheramp,Wedgewasalsofiring;somewherebehindher,shecould

hearafaintscrabblingacrossthegroundasHangotintopositionforwhatever

sabotagehewasplanning.Ashotblazedpastfromabove,narrowlymissingher

leftshoulder,andshetriedtobackalittlefartherintotheramp'sshadow.Behind

her,clearlyaudiblethroughtheblasterfire,sheheardasnap-hissasHanignited

herlightsaber. Grittingher teeth,she bracedherself, notknowing quitewhy—

Andwitha blastandshock wavethatknocked herflatagainsttheground,the

wholeshipbouncedameterintheairandthenslammedbackdownagain.

Throughtheringinginherears,sheheardsomeonegiveawarwhoop.Thefiring

fromthehatchhadabruptlystopped,andinthesilenceshecouldhearastrange

hissingroarcomingfromaboveher.

Cautiously, she eased away from the ramp and crawled a little ways out of

concealment.

She'dbeenpreparedtosee thefreighterleakingsomethingas aresultofHan's

sabotage. She wasn't prepared for the huge white gaseous plume that was

shootingskywardliketheventingofarupturedvolcano.

"Youlikeit?"Hanasked,easingoverbesideherandglancinguptoadmirehis

handiwork.

"Thatprobablydependsonwhethertheship'sabouttoblowup,"Leiacountered.

"Whatdidyoudo?"

"Cut through the coolant lines to the main drive," he told her, retrieving his

blasterandhandingbackherlightsaber."That'salltheirpressurizedkorfaisegas

floatingaway."

"Ithoughtcoolantgasesweredangeroustobreathe,"Leiasaid,lookingwarilyat

thebillowingcloud.

"Theyare,"Hanagreed."Butkorfaiseislighterthanair,sowewon'thaveany

troubledownhere.Insidetheshipisanothermatter.Ihope."

Abruptly, Leia became aware of the silence around them. "They've stopped

shooting,"shesaid.

Hanlistened."You'reright.Notjusttheonesinsidetheship,either."

"I wonder what they're up to," Leia murmured, tightening her grip on the

lightsaber.

Asecondlatershegotheranswer.Aviolentthunderclapcamefromabovethem,

flattening her to the ground withthe shock wave. For a horrifying second she

thoughtthealienshadsettheshiptoself-destruct;butthesoundfadedaway,and

therampbesideherwasstillintact."Whatwasthat?"

"That,sweetheart," Hansaid,pulling himselfto hisfeet,"was thesound ofan

escape pod being jettisoned." He eased cautiously away from the relative

protectionoftheramp,scanningthesky.

"Probably modified for atmospheric maneuvering. Never realized before how

loudthosethingswere."

"Theyusuallytakeoffinvacuum,"Leiaremindedhim,standingupherself."So.

Nowwhat?"

"Now—"Hanpointed"—wecollectourescortandgetoutofhere."

"Ourescort?"Leiafrowned."Whatesc—?"

HerquestionwascutoffbytheroarofenginesasthreeX-wingsshotoverhead,

wings in attack position and clearly primed for trouble. She looked up at the

white tower of korfaise gas... and suddenly understood. "You did that

deliberately,didn'tyou?"

"Well,sure,"Hansaid,lookinginnocent."Whyjustdisableashipwhenyoucan

disable itandsend upadistresssignal at the same time?" Hegazedupat the

cloud."Youknow,"hesaidthoughtfully,"sometimesIstillamazemyself."



"Icanassureyou,CaptainSolo,"AdmiralAckbar'sgravellyvoicecameoverthe

Falcon'sspeaker,"thatwe aredoingeverything inourpowertofind outhow

thishappened."

"That'swhatyousaidfourdaysago,"Hanremindedhim,tryinghardtobecivil.

Itwasn'teasy.He'dlongsincegottenusedtobeingshotathimself,buthaving

Leiaunderthehammerwithhimwassomethingelseentirely."Comeon—there

can'tbeallthatmanypeoplewhoknewwewerecomingtoBpfassh."

"You might be surprised," Ackbar said. "Between the Council members, their

staffs, the prep crews at the spaceport, and various security and support

personnel,theremaybeuptotwohundredpeoplewhohaddirectaccesstoyour

itinerary.Andthatdoesn'tcountfriendsandcolleaguesanyofthosetwohundred

mighthavementioneditto.Trackingthroughallofthemisgoingtotaketime."

Han grimaced. "That's great. May I ask what you suggest we do in the

meantime?"

"Youhaveyourescort."

"Wehadthemfourdaysago,too,"Hancountered."Itdidn'tdousalotofgood.

CommanderAntillesandRogueSquadronarefineinaspacebattle,butthiskind

ofstuffisn'texactlytheirareaofexpertise.

We'ddobetterwithLieutenantPageandsomeofhiscommandos."

"Unfortunately, they're all out on assignment," Ackbar said. "Under the

circumstances,perhapsitwouldbebestifyousimplybroughtCouncilorOrgana

Solobackherewhereshecanbeproperlyprotected."

"I'dloveto,"Hansaid."Thequestioniswhethershe'llbeanysaferonCoruscant

thansheishere."

Therewasalongmomentofsilence,andHancouldimagineAckbar'shugeeyes

swiveling in their sockets. "I'm not sure I appreciatethetoneofthatquestion,

Captain."

"Idon'tmuchlikeiteither,Admiral,"Hantoldhim."Butfaceit:iftheImperials

aregettinginformationoutofthePalace,theymightjustaseasilybeabletoget

theiragentsin."

"I think that highly unlikely," Ackbar said, and there was no missing the

frostinessinhistone. "The security arrangementsI'vesetup on Coruscant are

quitecapableofhandlinganythingtheImperialsmighttry."

"I'msuretheyare,Admiral,"Hansighed."Ionlymeant—"

"We'llletyouknowwhenwehavefurtherinformation,Captain,"Ackbarsaid.

"Untilthen,dowhateveryoufeelisnecessary.Coruscantout."

The faint hum of the carrier cut off. "Right," Han muttered under his breath.

"Bpfasshout,too."

For a minute he just sat there in the Falcon 's cockpit, thinking evil thoughts

aboutpoliticsin generalandAckbar inparticular.In frontofhim the displays

that normally monitored ship's status were showing views of the landing field

around them, with special emphasis on the areas just outside the hatch. The

underside swivel blaster was extended and ready, the deflector shields set for

hair-trigger activation, despite the fact that the things weren't all that effective

insideanatmosphere.

Han shook his head, a mixture of frustration and disgust in his mouth. Who'd

everhavethought,hemarveledtohimself,thatthedaywouldcomewhenIwas

actuallyparanoid?

Fromtherearofthecockpitcamethesoundofasoftfootstep.Hanturned,hand

automaticallydroppingtohisblaster—"It'sjustme,"Leiaassuredhim,coming

forward and glancing at the displays. She looked tired. "You finished talking

withAckbaralready?"

"Itwasn'tmuchofaconversation,"Hantoldhersourly."Iaskedwhattheywere

doingtofindouthowourpalswiththeblastersknewwewerecominghere,he

assuredmetheyweredoingeverythingpossibletofindout,Imanagedtostepon

histoes,andhesignedoffinahuff.PrettymuchlikeusualwithAckbarthese

days."

Leiagavehimawrysmile."Youdohaveawaywithpeople,don'tyou?"

"Thisone'snotmyfault,"Hanobjected."AllIdidwassuggestthathissecurity

peoplemightnotbeuptokeepingtheseguysoutoftheImperialPalace.He'sthe

onewhooverreacted."

"I know," Leia nodded, dropping wearily into the copilot's seat. "For all his

militarygenius,Ackbarjustdoesn'thavethepolishtobeagoodpolitician.And

withFey'lyanippingathisheels..."Sheshruggeduncomfortably."Hejustgets

moreandmoreoverprotectiveofhisterritory."

"Yeah,well, ifhe'stryingtokeepFey'lyaaway fromthe military,he's gotthe

wrongendoftheblaster,"

Hangrowled."HalfofthemarealreadyconvincedthatFey'lya'stheguytolisten

to."

"Unfortunately,heoftenis,"Leiaconceded."Charismaandambition.Dangerous

combination."

Hanfrowned.Therehadbeensomethinginhervoicejustthen..."Whatdoyou

mean,dangerous?"

"Nothing,"shesaid,aguiltylookflickingacrossherface."Sorry—talkingoutof

turn."

"Leia,ifyouknowsomething—"

"Idon'tknowanything,"shesaid,inatonethatwarnedhimtodropit."It'sjusta

feelingIhave.AsensethatFey'lyahashiseyeonmorethanjustAckbar'sjobas

supremecommander.Butit'sjustafeeling."

LikethefeelingshehadthattheEmpirewasuptosomethingbig?"Okay,"he

saidsoothingly."Iunderstand.So.Youalldonehere?"

"AsdoneasIcanbe,"shesaid,thetirednessbackinhervoice."Therebuilding's

going to takesometime, but the organization for that willhavetobe handled

fromCoruscant."Sheleanedbackinherseatandclosedhereyes."Convoysof

replacement equipment, consultants and maybe extra workers—you know the

sortofthing."

"Yeah,"Hansaid."AndIsupposeyou'reanxioustogetrightbackandstartthe

ballrolling."

Sheopenedhereyesandgavehimacuriouslook."Yousoundlikeyou'renot."

Han gave the outside displays a thoughtful scan. "Well, it's what everyone's

goingtoexpectyoutodo,"

hepointedout."Somaybeweoughttodosomethingelse."

"Suchas?"

"Idon'tknow.Findsomewherenoonewouldthinktolookforyou,Iguess."

"Andthen...?"sheasked,hervoiceominous.

Unconsciously,Hanbracedhimself."Andthenholeupthereforawhile."

"YouknowIcan'tdothat,"shesaid,hertonejustaboutwhathe'dexpected."I

havecommitmentsbackonCoruscant."

"You'vegotcommitmentstoyourself,too,"hecountered."Nottomentiontothe

twins."

Sheglaredathim."That'snotfair."

"Isn'tit?"

Sheturnedawayfromhim,anunreadableexpressiononherface."Ican'tbeout

oftouch,Han,"shesaidquietly."Ijustcan't.There'stoomuchhappeningback

thereformetoburymyselfaway."

Hangrittedhis teeth.Theyseemed toberunning overthissame territoryalot

lately."Well,ifallyouneedrightnowistokeepintouch,howaboutifwego

some place that hasadiplomaticstation? You'd at least be able to get official

Coruscantnewsthere."

"And how do we make sure the local ambassador doesn't give us away?" She

shook her head. "I can't believe I'm talking like this," she muttered. "It's like

we'rebackbeingtheRebellionagain,notthelegitimategovernment."

"Whosaystheambassadorhastoknow?"Hanasked."We'vegot adiplomatic

receiverontheFalcon—wecantapintothetransmissiononourown."

"Only if we can get hold of the station's encrypt scheme," she reminded him.

"Andthenplugitintoourreceiver.Thatmaynotbepossible."

"Wecanfindaway,"Haninsisted."AtleastitwouldbuyAckbarsometimeto

trackdowntheleak."

"True." Leia considered, slowly shook her head. "I don't know. The New

Republic'sencryptcodesarenearlyimpossibletobreak."

Hansnorted."Ihatetodisillusionyou,sweetheart,butthereareslicersrunning

aroundloosewhoeatgovernmentencryptcodesforbreakfast.Allwehavetodo

isfindoneofthem."

"Andpayhimenormoussumsofmoney?"Leiasaiddryly.

"Something like that," Han agreed, thinking hard. "On the other hand, even

slicersoccasionallyoweotherpeoplefavors."

"Oh?" Leia threw him a sideways look. "I don't suppose you'd know any of

them."

"Asamatteroffact,Ido."Hanpursedhislips."Troubleis,iftheImperialshave

done their homework, they probably know all about it and have someone

watchinghim."

"Meaning...?"

"Meaningwe'regoingtohavetofindsomeonewho'sgothisownlistofslicer

contacts."HereachedovertotheconsoleandtappedtheFalcon'scommswitch.

"Antilles,thisisSolo.Youcopy?"

"Righthere,General,"Wedge'svoicecamebackpromptly.

"We'releavingBpfassh,Wedge,"Hantoldhim."That'snotofficialyet—you're

inchargeoftellingtherestofthedelegationaboutitoncewe'reofftheground."

"Iunderstand,"Wedgesaid."Youwantmetoassignyouanescort,orwouldyou

ratherslipoutquietly?

I'vegotacoupleofpeopleI'dtrustallthewaytotheendofthegalaxy."

Han sent Leia a lopsided smile.Wedge understood, all right. "Thanks, but we

wouldn'twanttherestofthedelegationtofeelunprotected."

"Whateveryouwant.Icanhandleanythingthatneedsdoingatthisend.Seeyou

backatCoruscant."

"Right."Hancut off the comm."Eventually," he added underhisbreath as he

keyedforintercom.

"Chewie?Wereadytofly?"

The Wookiee growled an affirmative. "Okay. Make sure everything's bolted

downandthencomeonup.BetterbringThreepio,too—wemighthavetotalkto

BpfasshiControlonthewayout."

"DoI gettoknowwherewe're going?"Leiaaskedashe startedtheprelaunch

sequence.

"Ialreadytoldyou,"Hansaid."Weneedtofindsomeonewecantrustwhohas

hisownlistofillegals."

Asuspiciousglintcameintohereye."Youdon'tmean...Lando?"

"Whoelse?"Hansaidinnocently."Upstandingcitizen,formerwarhero,honest

businessman.Ofcoursehe'llhaveslicercontacts."

Leiarolledhereyesskyward."Why,"shemurmured,"doIsuddenlyhaveabad

feelingaboutthis?"

Chapter11

"Hangon,Artoo,"Lukecalledasthefirstgustsofatmosphericturbulencebegan

tobouncetheX-wingaround."We'recomingin.Scannersallworkingokay?"

Therewasanaffirmativetwitterfromtherear,thetranslationappearingacross

hiscomputerscope.

"Good," Luke said, and turned his attention back to the cloud-shrouded planet

rushinguptomeetthem.

Itwasodd,hethought,howithadonlybeenonthatfirsttripintoDagobahthat

thesensorshadsototallyfailedonapproach.

Orperhapsnotsoodd.PerhapsthathadbeenYoda,deliberatelysuppressinghis

instrumentssoas tobeabletoguidehimunsuspectinglytotheproperlanding

site.

AndnowYodawasgone...

Firmly,Lukeputthethoughtoutofhismind.Mourningthelossofafriendand

teacherwasboth fitting andhonorable,but to dwell unnecessarilyon that loss

wastogivethepasttoomuchpoweroverthepresent.

The X-wing dropped into the lower atmosphere, and within seconds was

completely enveloped by thick white clouds. Luke watched the instruments,

takingtheapproachslowandeasy.Thelasttimehe'dcomehere,justbeforethe

Battle of Endor, he'd made the landing without incident; but just the same, he

had no intention of pushing his luck. The landing sensors had Yoda's old

homesteadpinpointednow."Artoo?"hecalled."Findmeagoodlevelspottoset

down,willyou?"

Inresponse,aredrectangleappearedontheforwardscope,a wayseastofthe

house but within walking distance of it. "Thanks," Luke told the droid, and

keyedinthelandingcycle.Amomentlater,withonelastmadflurryofdisplaced

treebranches,theyweredown.

Slippingoffhishelmet,Lukepoppedthecanopy.TherichodorsoftheDagobah

swampfloodedinonhim,astrangecombinationofsweetanddecaythatsenta

hundredmemoriesflashingthroughhismind.

ThatslowtwitchofYoda'sears—thestrangebuttastystewhe'doftenmade—

the way that wispy hair of his had tickled Luke's ears whenever he rode on

Luke'sbackduringtraining.Thetrainingitself:thelonghours,thephysicaland

mentalfatigue,thegraduallyincreasingsenseofandconfidenceintheForce,the

caveanditsdarksideimages—Thecave?

Abruptly,Lukestoodupinthecockpit,handgoingreflexivelytohislightsaber

ashepeeredthroughthehaze.Surelyhehadn'tbroughthisX-wingdownbythe

cave.

Hehad.There,nomorethanfiftymetersaway,wasthetreethatgrewfromjust

above that evil place, its huge blackened shape jutting upward through the

surroundingtrees.Beneathandbetweenitstangledroots,justvisiblethroughthe

mistsandshortervegetation,hecouldseethedarkentrancetothecaveitself.

"Wonderful," he muttered. "Just wonderful." From behind him came an

interrogativesetofbeeps.

"Nevermind,Artoo,"hecalledoverhisshoulder,droppinghishelmetbackonto

theseat."It'sallright.

Whydon'tyoustayhere,andI'll—"

TheX-wingrocked,justabit,andhelookedbacktofindArtooalreadyoutof

hissocketand workinghisway gingerlyforward."Or ifyou'drather, youcan

comealong,"headdedwryly.

Artoo beeped again—not a cheerful beep, exactly, but one that definitely

sounded relieved. The little droid hated being left alone. "Hang on," Luke

directedhim."I'llgetdownandgiveyouahand."

He jumped down. The ground felt a little squishy beneath his feet, but it was

easilyfirmenoughtosupporttheX-wing'sweight.Satisfied,hereachedoutwith

theForcetoliftArtoofromhisperchandlowerthedroidtothegroundbeside

him."Thereyougo,"hesaid.

Fromoffinthedistancecamethelong,trillingwailofoneofDagobah'sbirds.

Lukelistenedasitrandownthescale,eyessearchingtheswamparoundhimand

wondering why exactly he'd come here. Back on Coruscant it had seemed

important—even vital—that he do so. But now that he was actually standing

hereitallseemedhazy.Hazy,andmorethanalittlesilly.

Beside him, Artoo beeped questioningly. With an effort, Luke shook off the

uncertainties."IthoughtYodamighthaveleftsomethingbehind thatwecould

use,"hetoldthedroid,choosingthemosteasilyverbalizedofhisreasons."The

houseshouldbe—"heglancedaroundtogethisbearings"—thatway.

Let'sgo."

The distance wasn't great, but the trip took longer than Luke had anticipated.

Partlyitwasthegeneralterrainandvegetation—he'dforgottenjusthowdifficult

itwastogetfromoneplacetoanotherthroughtheDagobahswamps.Butthere

was something else, too: a low-level but persistent pressure at the back of his

mindthatseemedtopressinward,cloudinghisabilitytothink.

Butatlasttheyarrived...tofindthehouseeffectivelygone.

For a long minute Luke just stood there, gazing at the mass of vegetation

occupyingthespot wherethehouse hadbeen,a freshly renewedsense of loss

strugglingagainsttheembarrassingrealizationthathe'dbeenafool.Growingup

in the deserts of Tatooine, where an abandoned structure could last for half a

centuryormore,ithadsomehowneverevenoccurredtohimtoconsiderwhat

wouldhappentothatsamestructureafterfiveyearsinaswamp.

Besidehim,Artoo twittered a question."Ithought Yoda might haveleft some

tapesorbooksbehind,"

Lukeexplained."SomethingthatwouldtellmemoreaboutthemethodsofJedi

training.Notmuchleft,though,isthere?"

Inresponse,Artooextendedhislittlesensorplate."Nevermind,"Luketoldhim,

startingforward."Aslongaswe'rehere,Iguesswemightaswelltakealook."

Ittookonlyafewminutestocutapaththroughthebushesandvineswithhis

lightsaberandtoreachwhatwasleftofthehouse'souterwalls.Forthemostpart

theywererubble,reachingonlytohiswaistattheirhighest,andcoveredwitha

crisscrossingoftinyvines.Insidewasmorevegetation,pushingupagainst,and

insomeplacesthrough,theoldstonehearth.HalfburiedinthemudwereYoda's

oldironpots,coveredwithastrange-lookingmoss.

Behindhim, Artoogave aquiet whistle."No,Idon'tthinkwe'regoingtofind

anythinguseful,"Lukeagreed,squattingdowntopulloneofthepotsoutofthe

ground.Asmall lizarddartedout ashedid so, anddisappeared into thereedy

grass. "Artoo, see ifyoucanfindanythingelectronic around here, will you? I

neversawhimuseanythinglikethat,but..."Heshrugged.

The droid obedientlyraisedhissensorplateagain. Luke watched as it tracked

backandforth...andsuddenlystopped."Findsomething?"Lukeasked.

Artootwitteredexcitedly,hisdomeswivelingtolookbackthewaythey'dcome.

"Backthatway?"Lukefrowned.Helookeddownatthedebrisaroundhim."Not

here?"

Artoo beeped again and turned around, rolling with some difficulty across the

uneven surface.Pausing,he swiveled his dome back towardLukeand made a

seriesofsoundsthatcouldonlyhavebeenaquestion."Okay,I'mcoming,"Luke

sighed,forcingbacktheoddsenseofdreadthathadsuddenlyseizedhim."Lead

theway."



Thesunlightfilteringthroughtheleafycanopyoverheadhadbecomenoticeably

dimmerbythetimetheycamewithinsightoftheX-wing."Nowwhere?"Luke

askedArtoo."Ihopeyou'renotgoingtotellmethatallyouwerepickingupwas

ourownship."

Artooswiveledhisdomebackaround,trillingadecidedlyindignantdenial.His

sensorplateturnedslightly—Topointdirectlyatthecave.

Lukeswallowedhard."You'resure?"

Thedroidtrilledagain."You'resure,"Lukesaid.

For a minute he just looked across through the mists at the cave, indecision

swirlingthroughhismind.

Therewasnogenuineneedforhimtogointhere—ofthatmuchhewascertain.

Whatever it was Artoo had detected, it would not be anything Yoda had left

behind.Notinthere.

But then what was it? Leia had referred to a Bpfasshi Dark Jedi who'd come

here.Coulditbesomethingofhis?

Lukegritted histeeth."Stayhere,Artoo," heinstructed thedroidas hestarted

acrosstothecave."I'llbebackassoonasIcan."

Fearandanger, Yoda had oftenwarned him, were theslaves of the darkside.

Vaguely,Lukewonderedwhichsidecuriosityserved.

Up close, the tree straddling the cave looked as evil as he remembered it:

twisted,dark,andvaguelybrooding,asifitwasitselfalivewiththedarksideof

theForce.Perhapsitwas.Lukecouldn'ttellforsure,notwiththeoverwhelming

emanationsofthecavefloodinghissenses.Itwas,clearly,thesourceofthelow-

levelpressurehe'dfelteversincehisarrivalonDagobah,andforamomenthe

wonderedwhytheeffecthadneverbeenthisstrongbefore.

PerhapsbecauseYodahadalwaysbeenherebefore,hispresenceshieldingLuke

fromthetruestrengthofthecave'spower.ButnowYodawasgone...andLuke

wasfacingthecavealone.

He took a deep breath. I am a Jedi, he reminded himself firmly. Slipping his

comlinkfromhisbelt,hethumbediton."Artoo?Youcopy?"

The comlink trilled back. "Okay. I'm starting in. Give me a signal when I get

closetowhateveritisyou'repickingup."

Hegotanaffirmative-soundingbeep.Returningthecomlinktohisbelt,hedrew

his lightsaber. Taking another deep breath, he ducked under the gnarled tree

rootsandsteppedintothecave.

This, too, was as bad as he remembered it. Dark, dank, alive with skittering

insectsandslimyplants,itwasgenerallyasunpleasantaplaceasLukehadever

beenin.Thefootingseemedmoretreacherousthanithadbeenbefore,andtwice

inthefirstdozenstepshenearlyfellonhisfaceasthegroundgavewaybeneath

hisweight;notbadly,butenoughtothrowhimoffbalance.Throughthemists

ahead a well-remembered spot loomed, and he found himself gripping his

lightsaberallthemoretightlyashenearedit.Onthisspot,once,he'dfoughta

nightmarebattlewithashadowy,unrealDarthVader...

Hereachedtheplaceandstopped,fightingbackthefearandmemories.Butthis

time,tohisrelief,nothinghappened.Nohissingbreathcamefromtheshadows;

noDarkLordglidedforwardtoconfronthim.Nothing.

Luke licked his lips and pulled the comlink off his belt. No; of course there

wouldbenothing.Hehadalreadyfacedthatcrisis—hadfaceditandconquered

it.WithVaderredeemedandgone,thecavehadnothingfurthertothreatenhim

withexceptnamelessandunrealfears,andthoseonlyifheallowedthemtohave

poweroverhim.Heshouldhaverealizedthatfromthestart."Artoo?"hecalled.

"Youstillthere?"

Thelittledroid buzzed inreply."All right," Lukesaid, starting forwardagain.

"HowfardoIhaveto—?"

Andrightinthemiddleofhissentence—practicallyinthemiddleofastep—the

hazeofthecaveabruptlycoalescedaroundhimintoaflickering,surrealvision...

Hewasonasmall,open-airgroundvehicle,hoveringlowoversomesortofpit.

The ground itself was indistinct, but he could feel a terrible heat rising all

aroundhimfromit.Somethingpokedhardinhisback,urginghimforwardonto

anarrowboard protruding horizontallyfrom the vehicle'sside— Luke caught

his breath, the scene suddenly coming clear. He was back on Jabba the Hutt's

skiff,beingpreparedforhisexecutionintheGreatPitofCarkoon—Ahead,he

could see the shape of Jabba's Sail Barge now, drifting a bit closer as the

courtiersjostledoneanotherforabetterviewofthecomingspectacle.Manyof

the barge's details were indistinct through the dream mists, but he could see

clearlythe small,dome-toppedfigureofArtoo atthe topoftheship.Awaiting

Luke'ssignal...

"I'mnotgoingtoplaythisgame,"Lukecalledouttowardthevision."I'mnot.

I'vefacedthiscrisis,too,andI'vedefeatedit."

Buthiswordsseemeddeadeveninhisownears...andevenashespokethem,he

couldfeelthejaboftheguard'sspearinhisback,andcouldfeelhimselfdropoff

theendoftheplank.Inmidairhetwistedaround,grabbingtheendoftheboard

andflipping highover theguards'heads—Helandedandturnedbacktoward

the Sail Barge, hand extended for the lightsaber Artoo had just sent arcing

towardhim.

Itneverreachedhim.Evenashestoodtherewaitingforit,theweaponchanged

direction,curvingbacktowardtheotherendoftheSailBarge.Frantically,Luke

reachedoutforitwiththeForce;buttonoavail.Thelightsabercontinuedits

flight—Andcametorestinthehandofaslenderwomanstandingaloneatthe

topofthebarge.

Lukestaredather,afeelingofhorrorsurgingthroughhim.Inthemists,withthe

sunbehindher,hecouldseenodetailsofherface...butthelightsabershenow

heldaloftlikeaprizetoldhimallheneededtoknow.Shehadthepowerofthe

Force...andhadjustcondemnedhimandhisfriendstodeath.

Andasthespearspushedhimagainontotheplankheheard,clearlythroughthe

dreammists,hermockinglaughter...

"No!"Lukeshouted;andassuddenlyasithadappeared,thevisionvanished.He

wasbackinthecaveonDagobah,hisforeheadandtunicsoakedwithsweat,a

franticelectronicbeepingcomingfromthecomlinkinhishand.

Hetooka shudderingbreath,squeezing his lightsaberhard to reassurehimself

thathedidindeedstillhaveit."It's—"Heworkedmoistureintoadrythroatand

tried again. "It'sokay,Artoo,"hereassured the droid. "I'm all right. Uh..." He

paused,fightingthroughthedisorientationtotrytorememberwhathewasdoing

here."Areyoustillpickingupthatelectronicsignal?"

Artoobeepedaffirmatively."Isitstillaheadofme?"Anotheraffirmativebeep.

"Okay,"Lukesaid.

Shiftingthelightsaberinhishand,hewipedmoreofthesweatfromhisforehead

andstartedcautiouslyforward,tryingtowatchalldirectionsatonce.

Butthecavehadapparentlydoneitsworst. Nomorevisionsroseto challenge

hiswayashecontinueddeeperin...andatlast,Artoosignaledthathewasthere.

The device, once he'd finally pried itoutofthemudandmoss,wasadistinct

disappointment: a small, somewhat flattened cylinder a little longer than his

hand, with five triangular, rust-encrusted keys on one side and some flowing

alienscriptengravedontheother."Thisisit?"Lukeasked,notsurehelikedthe

ideaofhavingcomeallthewayinherejustforsomethingsototallynondescript.

"There'snothingelse?"

Artoobeepedaffirmatively,andgaveawhistlethatcouldonlybeaquestion."I

don'tknowwhatitis,"

Luketoldthedroid."Maybeyou'llrecognizeit.Hangon;I'mcomingout."

The return trip was unpleasant but also uneventful, and a short time later he

emergedfromunderthetreerootswithasighofreliefintotherelativelyfresh

airoftheswamp.

It had grown dark while he'd been inside, he noted to his mild surprise; that

twistedvisionofthepastmusthavelastedlongerthanithadseemed.Artoohad

theX-wing'slandinglightson;thebeamswerevisibleashazyconesintheair.

Wading his way through the ground vegetation, Luke headed toward the X-

wing.

Artoo was waiting for him, beeping quietly to himself. The beeping became a

relieved whistle as Luke came into the light, the little droid rocking back and

forth like a nervous child. "Relax, Artoo, I'm all right," Luke assured him,

squattingdownandpullingtheflattenedcylinderoutofhissidepocket."What

doyouthink?"

Thedroidchirpedthoughtfully,hisdomeswivelingaroundtoexaminetheobject

fromacoupleofdifferentdirections.Then,abruptly,thechirpingexplodedinto

anexcitedelectronicjabbering."What?"

Luke asked, trying to read the flurry of sounds and wondering wryly why

Threepiowasneveraroundwhenyouneededhim."Slowdown,Artoo.Ican't—

nevermind," he interruptedhimself, gettingto his feetand glancingaroundin

the gathering darkness. "I don'tthinkthere'sanypointinhanging around here

anymore,anyway."

Helookedbackatthecave,nowalmostswallowedupbythedeepeninggloom,

andshivered.No,therewasnoreasontostay...andatleastoneverygoodreason

to leave. So much, he thought glumly, for finding any kind of enlightenment

here.Heshouldhaveknownbetter."Comeon,"hetoldthedroid.

"Let's get you back in your socket. You can tell me all about it on the way

home."



Artoo's report on the cylinder was, it turned out, fairly short and decidedly

negative. The little droid did not recognize the design, could not decipher its

functionfromwhathisgeneral-purposescannerscouldpickup,anddidn'teven

knowwhatlanguagethescriptonthesidewaswrittenin,letalonewhatitsaid.

Lukewasbeginningtowonderwhatallthedroid'searlierexcitementhadbeen

about...untilthelastsentencescrolledacrosshiscomputerscope.

"Lando?" Luke frowned, reading the sentence again. "I don't remember ever

seeingLandowithanythinglikethis."

More wordsscrolledacrossthe scope. "Yes, IrealizeI was busy atthetime,"

Luke agreed, unconsciously flexing the fingers of his artificial right hand.

"Gettingfittedwithanewhandwilldothat.SodidhegiveittoGeneralMadine,

orwashejustshowingittohim?"

Another sentence appeared. "That's okay," Luke assured the droid. "I imagine

youwerebusy,too."

Helookedintohisreardisplay,atthecrescentofDagobahgrowingeversmaller

behindhim.HehadintendedtogostraightbacktoCoruscantandwaitforLeia

andHantoreturnfromBpfassh.Butfromwhathe'dheard,theirmissionthere

could run a couple of weeks or even more. And Lando had invited him more

than once to visit his new rare-ore mining operation on thesuperhot planet of

Nkllon.

"Changeinplans,Artoo,"heannounced,keyinginanewcourse."We'regoing

toswingovertotheAthegasystemandseeLando.Maybehecantelluswhat

thisthingis."

Andontheway,he'dhavetimetothinkaboutthatdisturbingdreamorvisionor

whateveritwashe'dhadinthecave.Andtodecidewhetherithadbeen,infact,

nothingmorethanadream.

Chapter12

"No,Idon'thaveatransitpermitforNkllon,"HansaidpatientlyintotheFalcon

'stransmitter,glaringacrossatthemodifiedB-wingrunningbesidethem."Ialso

don'thaveanyaccountshere.I'mtryingtoreachLandoCalrissian."

From the seat behind him came a sound that might have been a stifled laugh.

"Yousaysomething?"heaskedoverhisshoulder.

"No,"Leiasaidinnocently."Justrememberingthepast."

"Right,"Hangrowled.Heremembered,too;andBespinwasn'tonhislistoffond

memories."Look,justgiveLandoacall,willyou?"hesuggestedtotheB-wing.

"Tellhimthatanoldfriendishere,andthoughtwemightplayahandofsabacc

formychoiceofhisstock.Landowillunderstand."

"Wewanttowhat?"Leiaasked,leaningforwardaroundhischairtogivehima

startledlook.

Han muted the transmitter. "The Imperials might have spies here, too," he

reminded her. "If they do, announcingour names to the whole Athega system

wouldn'tbeverysmart."

"Point,"Leiaconcededreluctantly."That'saprettystrangemessage,though."

"Not to Lando," Han assured her. "He'll know it's me—provided that middle-

levelbuttonpusheroutthereloosensupandsendsitin."

Beside him, Chewbacca growled a warning: something big was approaching

fromaft-starboard."Anymakeonit?"Hanasked,craninghisnecktotrytogeta

look.

The transmitter crackled back to life before the Wookiee could answer.

"Unidentifiedship,GeneralCalrissianhasauthorizedaspecialtransitwaiverfor

you," the B-wing said, his tone sounding a little disappointed. He'd probably

beenlookingforwardtopersonallykickingthetroublemakersoutofhissystem.

"Yourescortismovingtointercept;holdyourcurrentpositionuntilhearrives."

"Acknowledged,"Hansaid,notquiteabletobringhimselftothanktheman.

"Escort?"Leiaaskedcautiously."Whyanescort?"

"That'swhatyougetforgoingoffanddoingpoliticsstuffwhenLandodropsby

thePalaceforavisit,"

Hanadmonishedher,stillcraninghisneck.Thereitwas..."Nkllon'sasuperhot

planet—way too close to its sun for any normal ship to get to without getting

partofitshullpeeledoff.Hence—"hewavedLeia'sattentiontotheright"—the

escort."

There was a sharp intake of air from behind him, and even Han, who'd seen

Lando'sholosofthesethings,hadtoadmititwasanimpressivesight.Morethan

anything else the shieldship resembled a monstrous flying umbrella, a curved

dishfullyhalfasbigacrossasanImperialStarDestroyer.Theundersideofthe

dish was ridged with tubes and fins—pumping and storage equipment for the

coolantthathelpedkeepthedishfromburningupduringthetripinward.Where

theumbrella'shandle wouldhave been wasa thick cylindricalpylon, reaching

half as far back as theumbrelladishwas wide, its far end bristling with huge

radiatorfins.Inthecenterofthepylon,lookingalmostlikeanafterthought,was

thetugshipthatdrovethething.

"Goodskies,"Leiamurmured,soundingstunned."Anditactuallyflies?"

"Yeah, but not easily," Han told her, watching with a slight trickle of

apprehensionasthemonstrositymovedeverclosertohisship.Itdidn'thaveto

move all that close—the Falcon was considerably smaller than the huge

containerships the shieldshipsnormally escorted."Lando told methey hadall

sortsoftroublegettingthethingsdesignedproperlyinthefirstplace,andalmost

asmuchtroubleteachingpeoplehowtoflythem."

Leianodded."Ibelieveit."

The transmitter crackled again. "Unidentified ship, this is Shieldship Nine.

Readytolock;pleasetransmityourslavecircuitcode."

"Right," Han muttered under his breath, touching the transmit switch.

"Shieldship Nine, we don't have a slave circuit. Just give me your course and

we'llstaywithyou."

Therewasamomentofsilence."Verywell,unidentifiedship,"thevoicesaidat

last—reluctantly,Hanthought."Setyourcourseattwo-eight-four;speed,point

sixsublight."

Withoutwaitingfor an acknowledgment, thehuge umbrella began todriftoff.

"Staywithhim,Chewie,"

Hantoldthecopilot.Notthatthatwouldbeaproblem;theFalconwasfasterand

infinitely moremaneuverablethan anything that size. "Shieldship Nine, what's

ourETAforNkllon?"

"Youinahurry,unidentifiedship?"

"How could we be in a hurry, with this wonderful view?" Han asked

sarcastically, looking at the underside of the dish that filled pretty much the

entiresky."Yeah,we'reinkindofahurry."

"Sorrytohearthat,"theothersaid."Yousee,ifyouhadaslavecircuit,wecould

doaquickhyperspacehopinwardtogetherandbeatNklloninmaybeanhour.

Doingitthisway—well,it'lltakeusaboutten."

Hangrimaced."Great."

"Wecouldprobablysetupatemporaryslavecircuit,"Leiasuggested."Threepio

knowstheFalcon'scomputerwellenoughtodothat."

Chewbacca half turned toward her, growling a refusal that left no room for

argument,evenifHanhadbeeninclinedtoargue.Whichhewasn't."Chewie's

right,"hetoldLeiafirmly."Wedon'tslavethisshiptoanything.Ever.Youcopy

that,shieldship?"

"Okaybyme,unidentifiedship,"theothersaid.Theyallseemedtobetakinga

perversepleasureinusingthatphrase."Igetpaidbythehouranyway."

"Fine,"Hansaid."Let'sgettoit."

"Sure"

The transmission cut off, and Han poised his hands over the controls. The

umbrellawasstilldrifting,butnothingmore."Chewie,hashegothisenginesoff

standbyyet?"

TheWookieerumbledanegative.

"What'swrong?"Leiaasked,leaningforwardagain.

"Idon't know,"Han said,lookingaround.Withtheumbrellain theway, there

wasn't a lot to see. "I don't like it, though." He tapped the transmitter.

"ShieldshipNine,what'stheholdup?"

"Notto worry, unidentifiedship," thevoicecame backsoothingly."We've got

anothercraftcominginthatalsodoesn'thaveaslavecircuit,sowe'regoingto

takeyoubothintogether.Nopointintyinguptwoofus,right?"

The hairs on the back of Han's neck began to tingle. Another ship that just

happenedtobecomingintoNkllonthesametimetheywere."YouhaveanID

onthatothership?"heasked.

Theothersnorted."Hey,friend,wedon'tevenhaveanIDonyou."

"You'reabighelp,"Hansaid,mutingthetransmitteragain."Chewie,yougotan

approachyetonthisguy?"

The Wookiee's reply was short and succinct. And disturbing. "Cute," Han

growled."Realcute."

"Imissedthat,"Leiamurmured,lookingoverhisshoulder.

"He'scominginfromthefarsideoftheshieldship'scentralpylon,"Hantoldher

grimly, pointing to the inference brackets on the scanner scope. "Keeping it

betweenhimanduswherewecan'tseehim."

"Ishedoingitonpurpose?"

"Probably," Han nodded, hitting his restraint release. "Chewie, take over; I'm

goingtofireupthequads."

He ran back along the cockpit corridor to the central core and headed up the

ladder. "Captain Solo," a nervous mechanical voice called after him from the

directionofthelounge."Issomethingwrong?"

"Probably,Threepio,"Hanshoutedback."Betterstrapin."

Hegotuptheladder,passedthroughtheright-anglegravitydiscontinuityatthe

gun well, and dropped himself into the seat. The control board went on with

satisfying quickness, as he keyed for power with one hand and grabbed the

headsetwiththeother."Anythingyet,Chewie?"hecalledintohismike.

Theothergrowledanegative:theapproachingcraftwasstillcompletelyhidden

bytheshieldship'spylon.

But the inference scope was now giving a distance reading, and from that the

Wookiee had been able to compute an upper size limit for the craft. It wasn't

verybig."Well,that'ssomething,"Hantoldhim,runningthroughhismentallist

ofstarshiptypesandtryingtofigureoutwhattheEmpiremightbethrowingat

themthatwouldbethatsmall.SomevarietyofTIEfighter,maybe?"Staysharp

—thismightbeadecoy."

Theinferencescopepinged:theunknownshipwasstartingtocomearoundthe

pylon.Hanbracedhimself,fingersrestinglightlyonthefirecontrols...

Andwithasuddennessthatsurprisedhim,theshipburstintosight,roundingthe

pyloninatwistingspiral.

Itsteadiedslightly—

"It's an X-wing," Leia identified it, sounding greatly relieved. "With Republic

markings—"

"Hello,strangers,"Luke'svoicecrackledintoHan'sear."Goodtoseeyou."

"Uh... hi," Han said, stifling the automatic urge to greet Luke by name.

Theoretically, they were on a secure frequency, but it was easy enough for

anyonewithsufficientmotivationtogetaroundsuchformalities."Whatareyou

doinghere?"

"IcametoseeLando,"Luketoldhim."SorryifIstartledyou.Whentheytold

meI'dbegoinginwithanunidentifiedshipIthoughtitmightbeatrap.Iwasn't

completelysureitwasyouuntilaminuteago."

"Ah,"Hansaid,watchingastheothershipsettledintoaparallelcourse.Itwas

Luke'sX-wing,allright.

Orat least, itlooked likeLuke'sX-wing. "So,"he saidcasually,swiveling the

laser cannons around to target the other. Situated the way it was, the X-wing

would have to yaw 90 degrees around before it could fire at them. Unless, of

course,ithadbeenmodified."Thisjustasocialcall,orwhat?"

"Notreally.Ifoundanoldgadgetthat...well,IthoughtLandomightbeableto

identifyit."Hehesitated.

"Idon'tthinkweoughttodiscussitoutintheopenlikethis.Howaboutyou?"

"Idon'tthink weshouldtalk about that,either," Han toldhim, mind racing.It

soundedlikeLuke,too;butafterthatnear-disastrousdecoyattemptonBpfassh,

hewasn'tabouttotakeanythingforgranted.

Somehow,theyneededtomakeapositiveidentification,andfast.

Hetappedaswitch,cuttinghimselfoutoftheradiocircuit."Leia,canyoutell

whetherornotthat'sreallyLukeoutthere?"

"Ithinkso,"shesaidslowly."I'malmostpositiveitis."

"'Almostpositive'won'tcutit,sweetheart,"hewarnedher.

"Iknow,"shesaid."Hangon;I'vegotanidea."

Hancuthimselfbackintotheradiocircuit."—saidthatifIhadaslavecircuit

theycouldgetmeinalotfaster,"Lukewassaying."Ahyperspacejumpasclose

toNkllonasthegravitywellwillpermit,andthenjustafewminutesofcover

beforeI'dbeintheplanetaryumbraandcouldgotherestofthewayinonmy

own."

"ExceptthatX-wingsdon'tcomeequippedwithslavecircuits?"Hansuggested.

"Right," Luke said, a little dryly. "Some oversight in the design phase, no

doubt."

"Nodoubt,"Hanechoed,beginningtosweatalittle.WhateverLeiawasupto,

hewishedshe'dgettoit.

"Actually,I'mgladyoudon'thaveone,"Leiaspokeup."Itfeelssafertraveling

inconvoythisway.Oh,beforeIforget,there'ssomeoneherewhowantstosay

hello."

"Artoo?"Threepio'sprissyvoicesaidtentatively."Areyouthere?"

Han'sheadphoneeruptedwithablatherofelectronicbeepsandtwitters."Well,I

don'tknowwhereelseyoumighthavebeen,"Threepiosaidstiffly."Frompast

experience,thereareaconsiderablevarietyofdifficultiesyoucouldhavegotten

yourselfinto.Certainlywithoutmealongtosmooththingsoutforyou."

Theheadphonemadeanoisethatsoundedsuspiciouslylikeanelectronicsnort.

"Yes,well,you'vealwaysbelievedthat,"Threepiocountered,evenmorestiffly.

"Isupposeyou'reentitledtoyourdelusions."

Artoosnortedagain;and,smilingtightlyto himself,Hankeyed offhiscontrol

boardanddroppedthelasersbackintostandbystatus.He'dknownalotofmen,

back in his smuggling days, who wouldn't have wanted a wife who could

sometimesthinkfasterthantheycould.

Speakingforhimself,Han hadlongagodecidedhewouldn'thaveitany other

way.



Theshieldshippilothadn'tbeenexaggerating.Itwasnearlytenhourslaterwhen

he finally signaled that they were on their own, made one final not-quite-

impolitecomment,andpulledofftotheside,outoftheway.

There wasn't much to see; but then, Han decided, the dark side of an

undeveloped planet was seldom very scenic. A homing signal winked at him

fromoneofthescopes,andhemadealeisurelyturnintheindicateddirection.

Frombehindhimcamethesoundofafootstep."What'shappening?"Leiaasked,

yawningasshesatdowninthecopilot'sseat.

"We're in Nkllon's shadow," Han told her, nodding toward the starless mass

directlyaheadofthem.

"I'vegotalockonLando'sminingoperation—lookslikewe'llbethereintenor

fifteenminutes."

"Okay."Leialookedofftotheside,attherunninglightsoftheX-wingpacing

them."HaveyoutalkedwithLukelately?"

"Notfora coupleofhours. He saidhe was goingtotry andgetsome sleep.I

thinkArtoo'srunningtheshipatthemoment."

"Yes,heis,"Leianodded,withthatslightlyabsentvoiceshealwaysusedwhen

practicing her new Jedi skills. "Luke's not sleeping very well, though.

Something'sbotheringhim."

"Something'sbeenbotheringhimforthepastcoupleofmonths,"Hanreminded

her."He'llgetoverit."

"No, this is something different," Leia shook her head. "Something more—I

don't know; more urgent , somehow." She turned back to face him. "Winter

thoughtthatmaybehe'dbewillingtotalktoyouaboutit."

"Well,hehasn'tyet,"Hansaid."Look,don'tworry.Whenhe'sreadytotalk,he'll

talk."

"Isupposeso."Shepeeredoutofthecockpitattheedgeoftheplanetarymass

theywerespeedingtoward."Incredible.Doyourealizeyoucanactuallyseepart

ofthesolarcoronafromhere?"

"Yeah,well,don'taskmetotakeyououtforacloserlook,"Hantoldher."Those

shieldships aren't just for show, you know—the sunlight out there is strong

enoughtofryeverysensorwehaveinafewsecondsandtaketheFalcon'shull

offacoupleofminuteslater."

She shook her head wonderingly. "First Bespin, now Nkllon. Have you ever

knownLandowhenhewasn'tinvolvedinsomekindofcrazyscheme?"

"Notveryoften,"Hanhadtoadmit."ThoughatBespin,atleast,hehadaknown

technologytoworkwith—CloudCityhadbeenrunningforyearsbeforehegot

hold of it. This—" he nodded out the viewport"—theyhad to think up pretty

muchfromscratch."

Leialeanedforward."IthinkIseethecity—thatgroupoflightsoverthere."

Hanlooked whereshe waspointing. "Toosmall,"hesaid."Morelikelyit'san

outrider group of moleminers.LastI heard he had just over a hundred of the

thingsdiggingstuffoutofthesurface."

"Those are, what, those asteroid ships we helped him get from Stonehill

Industries?"

"No,he'susingthoseintheoutersystemfortugwork,"Hancorrected."These

arelittletwo-manjobsthatlooklikeconeswiththepointschoppedoff.They've

gotasetofplasma-jetdrillspointingdownaroundtheundersidehatch—youjust

land where you want to drill, fire the jets for a minute or two to chop up the

ground,thengoondownthroughthehatchandpickupthepieces."

"Oh,right,Irememberthosenow,"Leianodded."Theywereoriginallyasteroid

miners,too,weren'tthey?"

"The style was. Lando found this particular batch being used in a smelting

complexsomewhere.Instead of just removingthe plasma jets, theownershad

hauledthethingsupwholeandwedgedthemintoplaceontheline."

"IwonderhowLandogotholdofthem."

"Weprobablydon'twanttoknow."

The transmitter crackled. "Unidentified ships, this is Nomad City Control," a

crisp voice said. "You've been cleared for landing on Platforms Five and Six.

Followthebeaconin,andwatchoutforthebumps."

"Got it," Han said. The Falcon was skimming the ground now, the altimeter

readingthemasjustunderfiftymetersup.Ahead,alowridgerosetomeetthem;

givingthecontrolsatap,Hannudgedthemoverit—Andthere,directlyahead,

wasNomadCity.

"Tellmeagain,"heinvitedLeia,"aboutLandoandcrazyschemes?"

Sheshookherheadwordlessly...andevenHan,who'dmoreorlessknownwhat

toexpect,hadtoadmittheviewwasstunning.Huge,humpbacked,blazingwith

thousandsoflightsinthedarksidegloom,theminingcomplexlookedlikesome

sortofexoticmonstrouslivingcreatureasitlumbereditswayacrosstheterrain,

dwarfingthelowridgesoverwhichitwalked.Searchlightscrisscrossedthearea

infrontofit;ahandfuloftinyshipsbuzzedlikeinsectparasitesarounditsback

orscutteredacrossthegroundinfrontofitsfeet.

It took Han's brain a handful of seconds to resolve the monster into its

component parts: the old Dreadnaught Cruiser on top, the forty captured

ImperialAT-ATsunderneathcarryingitacrosstheground,theshuttlesandpilot

vehiclesmovingaroundandinfrontofit.

Somehow,knowingwhatitwasdidn'tmakeittheleastbitlessimpressive.

The transmitter crackled again. "Unidentified ship," a familiar voice said,

"welcometoNomadCity.

What'sthisaboutplayingahandofsabacc?"

Hangrinnedlopsidedly."Hello,Lando.Wewerejusttalkingaboutyou."

"I'll bet," Lando said wryly. "Probably remarking on my business skills and

creativity."

"Somethinglikethat,"Hantoldhim."Anyspecialtrickinvolvedinlandingon

thatthing?"

"Not really," the other assured them. "We're only going a few kilometers an

hour,afterall.IsthatLukeintheX-wing?"

"Yes,I'mhere,"LukeputinbeforeHancouldanswer."Thisplaceisamazing,

Lando."

"Waittillyouseeitfromtheinside.It'sabouttimeyoupeoplecametovisit,I

mightadd.AreLeiaandChewiewithyou?"

"We'reallhere,"Leiasaid.

"It'snotexactlyasocialcall,"Hanwarnedhim."Weneedalittlehelp."

"Well,sure,"Landosaid,withjusttheslightestbitofhesitation."AnythingIcan

do.Look,I'm inProjectCentral atthemoment, supervisingadifficult dig.I'll

havesomeonemeetyouonthelandingplatformandbringyoudownhere.Don't

forgetthere'snoairhere—makesureyouwaitforthedockingtubetoconnect

beforeyoutrypoppingthehatch."

"Right," Han said. "Make sure your reception committee is someone you can

trust."

Anotherslightpause."Oh?"Landoasked,casually."Istheresomething—?"

Hewascutoffbyasuddenelectronicsquealfromthetransmitter."What'sthat?"

Leiasnapped.

"Someone's jamming us," Han growled, jabbing at the transmitter cutoff. The

squealing vanished, leaving an unpleasant ringing in his ears as he keyed for

intercom."Chewie,we'vegottrouble,"hecalled."Getuphere."

Hegotanacknowledgment,turnedbacktothetransmitter."Getusascanofthe

area,"hetoldLeia.

"Seeifthere'sanythingcomingin."

"Right,"Leiasaid,alreadyworkingthekeys."Whatareyougoingtodo?"

"I'mgoingtofindusaclearfrequency."HepulledtheFalconoutofitsapproach

vector, made sure they had an open field around them, then turned the

transmitter back on, keeping the volume low. There were freq-scanning and

mixing tricks that he'd used in the past against this kind of jamming. The

questionnowwaswhetherhewasgoingtohavethetimetoimplementthem.

Abruptly, much quicker than he'd expected, the squeal dissolved into a voice.

"—peating:anyshipswhocanreadme,pleasecheckin."

"Lando,it'sme,"Hancalled."What'sgoingon?"

"I'm not sure," Lando said, sounding distracted. "It could be just a solar flare

scramblingourcommunications—thathappenssometimes.Butthepatternhere

doesn'tseemquiterightfor..."

Hisvoicetrailedoff."What?"Handemanded.

Therewasafainthissfromthespeaker,thesoundofsomeoneinhalingdeeply.

"Imperial Star Destroyer," Lando said quietly. "Coming in fast toward the

planetaryshadow."

Han looked at Leia, saw her face turn to stone as she looked back at him.

"They'vefoundus,"shewhispered.

Chapter13

"Iseeit,Artoo,Iseeit,"Lukesoothed."LetmeworryabouttheStarDestroyer;

youjustkeeptryingtofindawaythroughthatjamming."

The little droid warbled a nervous-sounding acknowledgment and got back to

work.Ahead,theMillenniumFalconhadpulledoutofitslandingapproachand

wasswingingbackonwhatlookedlikeaninterceptcoursefortheapproaching

ship.HopingHanknewwhathewasdoing,LukekeyedtheX-wingforattack

statusandfollowed.Leia?hecalledsilently.

Her response contained no words; but the anger and frustration and quiet fear

camethroughalltooclearly.Hangon,I'mwithyou,hetoldher,puttingasmuch

reassuranceandconfidenceintothethoughtashecould.

A confidence which, he had to admit, he didn't particularly feel. The Star

Destroyer itself didn't worry him—if Lando's descriptions of the sunlight's

intensitywereright,thebigshipitselfwasprobablyhelplessbynow,itssensors

andmaybeevenafairamountofitsarmamentvaporizedrightoffitshull.

But the TIE fighters protected in its hangars weren't so handicapped... and as

soonastheshipreachedNkllon'sshadow,thosefighterswouldbefreetolaunch.

Abruptly,thestaticcleared."Luke?"

"I'mhere,"Lukeconfirmed."What'stheplan?"

"I was hoping you'd have one," theother said dryly. "Looks like we're a little

outnumberedhere."

"DoesLandohaveanyfighters?"

"He'sscramblingwhathe'sgot,buthe'sgoingtokeepthemcloseintoprotect

thecomplex.Igetthefeelingthecrewsaren'tallthatexperienced."

"Looks like we're the attack front, then," Luke said. A stray memory flicked

throughhismind:walkingintoJabba'spalaceonTatooinefiveyearsago,using

theForce to befuddlethe Gamorreanguards. "Let'strythis," hetold Han. "I'll

runaheadofyou,trytoconfuseorslowdowntheirreflexesasmuchasIcan.

Youfollowrightbehindmeandtakethemout."

"Soundsasgoodaswe'regoingtoget,"Hangrunted."Stayclosetotheground;

withluck,we'llbeabletorunsomeofthemintothoselowridges."

"But don't get too low," Leia warned. "Remember that you're not going to be

abletoconcentrateverymuchonyourflying."

"Icanhandleboth,"Lukeassuredher,givingtheinstrumentsonelastscan.His

firstspacecombatasafullJedi.Distantly,hewonderedifthiswashowtheJedi

oftheOldRepublichadhandledsuchbattles.

Orevenifthey'dfoughtlikethisatall.

"Heretheycome,"Hanannounced."Outofthehangarandontheirway.Looks

like...probablyonlyonesquadron.Overconfident."

"Maybe."Lukefrownedathistacticalscope."Whatarethoseothershipswith

them?"

"I don't know," Han said slowly. "They're pretty big, though. Could be troop

carriers."

"Let'shopenot."Ifthiswasafull-scaleinvasion,andnotjustanotherhit-and-

fadelikeatBpfassh...

"You'dbetterwarnLando."

"Leia'sonit.Youready?"

Luke took a deep breath. The TIE fighters had formed into three four-ship

groupsnow,sweepingdirectlytowardthem."I'mready,"hesaid.

"Okay.Let'sdoit."

The first group was coming in fast. Half closing his eyes, flying entirely on

reflex,LukereachedoutwiththeForce.

Itwasastrangesensation.Strange,andmorethanalittleunpleasant.Totouch

another mind with the intent of communication was one thing; to touch that

samemindwiththeintentofdeliberatelydistortingitsperceptionwassomething

elseentirely.

He'dhadasimilarfeelingatJabba's,withthoseguards,buthadputitdownthen

tonervousnessabouthismissiontorescueHan.Now,herealizedthattherewas

moretoitthanthat.Perhapsthissortofaction—evendonepurelyinself-defense

—wasdangerouslyclosetotheedgeofthedarkareaswhereJediwereforbidden

togo.

HewonderedwhyneitherYodanorBenhadevertoldhimaboutthis.Wondered

whatelsetherewasaboutbeingaJedithathewasgoingtohavetodiscoveron

hisown.

Luke?

Dimly,hefelthimselfbeingjammedintohisstrapsashetwitchedtheX-wingto

oneside.Thevoicewhisperingintohismind..."Ben?"hecalledaloud.Itdidn't

soundlikeBenKenobi;butifitwasn'thim,thenwho—?

You willcometome,Luke, the voice said again. You must come to me. I will

awaityou.

Whoareyou?Lukeasked,focusingasmuchofhisstrengthonthecontactashe

could without risking a crash. But the other mind was too elusive to track,

skitteringawaylikeabubbleinahurricane.Whereareyou?

Youwillfindme.EvenasLukestrained,hecouldfeelthecontactslippingaway.

Youwillfindme...andtheJedishallriseagain.Untilthen,farewell.

Wait! But the call was fading into nothingness. Clenching his teeth, Luke

strained...andgraduallybegantorealizethatanother, morefamiliarvoicewas

callinghisname."Leia?"hecroakedbackthroughamouththatwasinexplicably

dry.

"Luke,areyouallright?"Leiaaskedanxiously.

"Sure,"hesaid.Hisvoicesoundedbetterthistime."I'mfine.What'swrong?"

"You're what's wrong," Han cut in. "You planning to chase them all the way

home?"

Lukeblinked,lookingaroundinsurprise.ThebuzzingTIEfightersweregone,

leavingnothingbutbitsofwreckagestrewnacrossthelandscape.Onhisscope,

hecouldseethattheStarDestroyerhadleftNkllon'sshadowagain,drivinghard

away from the planet toward a point far enough out of the gravity well for a

lightspeedjump.Beyond it,apairofminiaturesunswereapproaching:twoof

Lando'sshieldships,belatedlyarriving—nowthatitwastoolate—toassistinthe

fight."It'sallover?"heaskedstupidly.

"It'sallover,"Leiaassuredhim."WegottwooftheTIEfightersbeforetherest

disengagedandretreated."

"Whataboutthetroopcarriers?"

"They went back with the fighters," Han said. "We still don't know what they

weredoinghere—wesortoflosttrackofthemduringthefight.Didn'tlooklike

theyeverwentveryclosetothecityitself,though."

Luketook a deepbreath, glanced atthe X-wing'schrono.In andamongall of

that, he'd somehow lost over half an hour. Half an hour that his internal time

sensehad norecollection ofwhatsoever. Couldthat strangeJedi contactreally

havelastedthatlong?

Itwassomethinghewouldhavetolookinto.Verycarefully.



On the main bridge screen, showing as little more than a bright spot against

Nkllon's dark backdrop, the Judicator made its jump to lightspeed. "They're

clear,Admiral,"Pellaeonannounced,lookingoveratThrawn.

"Good."TheGrandAdmiralgavetheotherdisplaysanalmostlazyexamination,

thoughtherewaslittletoworryaboutthisfaroutintheAthegasystem."So,"he

said,swivelinghischairaround."MasterC'baoth?"

"Theyfulfilledtheirmission,"C'baothsaid,thatstrangelytautexpressiononhis

faceagain."Theyobtainedfifty-oneofthemoleminermachinesyousentthem

for."

"Fifty-one,"Thrawnrepeatedwithobvioussatisfaction."Excellent.Youhadno

problemguidingtheminandout?"

C'baothfocusedhiseyesonThrawn."Theyfulfilledtheirmission,"herepeated.

"Howmanytimesdoyouintendtoaskmethesamequestion?"

"UntilI'msureIhavethecorrectanswer,"Thrawnrepliedcoolly."Forawhile

thereyourfacelookedasifyouwerehavingtrouble."

"Ihadnotrouble,GrandAdmiralThrawn,"C'baothsaidloftily."WhatIhadwas

conversation."Hepaused,aslightsmileonhisface."WithLukeSkywalker."

"What are you talking about?" Pellaeon snorted. "Current intelligence reports

indicatethatSkywalkeris—"

HebrokeoffatagesturefromThrawn."Explain,"theGrandAdmiralsaid.

C'baoth nodded toward the display. "He's there right now, Grand Admiral

Thrawn.HearrivedonNkllonjustaheadoftheJudicator."

Thrawn'sglowingredeyesnarrowed. "SkywalkerisonNkllon?"heasked,his

voicedangerouslyquiet.

"In the very center of the battle," C'baoth told him, very clearly enjoying the

GrandAdmiral'sdiscomfiture.

"Andyousaidnothingtome?"Thrawndemandedinthatsamedeadlyvoice.

C'baoth'ssmilevanished. "I told you before,GrandAdmiral Thrawn: you will

leaveSkywalkeralone.Iwilldealwithhim—inmyowntime,inmyownway.

AllIrequireofyouisthefulfillmentofyourpromisetotakemetoJomark."

ForalongmomentThrawngazedattheJediMaster,hiseyesglowingredslits,

hisface hardand totallyunreadable.Pellaeon heldhis breath..."It'stoosoon,"

theGrandAdmiralsaidatlast.

C'baothsnorted."Why?Becauseyoufindmytalentstoousefultogiveup?"

"Notatall,"Thrawnsaid,hisvoiceicy."It'sasimplematterofefficiency.The

rumorsofyourpresencehaven'thadenoughtimetospread.Untilwecanbesure

Skywalkerwillrespond,you'lljustbewastingyourtimethere."

AstrangelydreamylookseepedontoC'baoth'sface."Oh,he'llrespond,"hesaid

softly."Trustme,GrandAdmiralThrawn.Hewillrespond."

"Ialwaystrustyou,"Thrawnsaidsardonically.Hereachedahanduptostroke

theysalamirdrapedoverhiscommandchair,asiftoremindtheJediMasterjust

how far he trusted him. "At any rate, I suppose it's your own time to waste.

CaptainPellaeon,howlongwillittaketorepairthedamagetotheJudicator?"

"Several days at the least, Admiral," Pellaeon told him. "Depending on the

damage,itcouldtakeaslongasthreeorfourweeks."

"Allright.We'llgototherendezvouspoint,staywiththemlongenoughtomake

surerepairsare properlyunderway, and thentake Master C'baothto Jomark.I

trustthatwillbesatisfactory?"headded,lookingbackatC'baoth.

"Yes."Carefully,C'baothunfoldedhimselffromhischairandstoodup."Iwill

restnow,GrandAdmiralThrawn.Alertmeifyouneedmyassistance."

"Certainly."

Thrawnwatchedtheotherwendhiswaybackacrossthebridge;andasthedoors

slid solidly shut behind him, the Grand Admiral turned to Pellaeon. Pellaeon

braced himself, trying not to wince. "I want a course projection, Captain,"

Thrawn said, his voice cold but steady. "The most direct line from Nkllon to

Jomark,atthebestspeedahyperdrive-equippedX-wingcouldtakeit."

"Yes,Admiral."Pellaeon signaledto thenavigator,who noddedandgot busy.

"Youthinkhe'srightaboutSkywalkergoingthere?"

Thrawn shrugged fractionally. "The Jedi had ways of influencing people,

Captain,evenoverconsiderabledistances.It'spossiblethatevenoutherehewas

closeenoughtoSkywalkertoplantasuggestionorcompulsion.Whetherthose

techniqueswillworkonanotherJedi—"Heshruggedagain."We'llsee."

"Yes, sir." The numbers were starting to track across Pellaeon's display now.

"Well, even if Skywalker leaves Nkllon immediately, there won't be any

problemgettingC'baothtoJomarkaheadofhim."

"Iknewthatmuchalready,Captain," Thrawnsaid."WhatIneedisabitmore

challenging. We're going to drop C'baoth off on Jomark, then backtrack to a

pointonSkywalker'sprojectedcourse.Apointatleasttwentylight-yearsaway,I

think."

Pellaeonfrownedathim.TheexpressiononThrawn'sfacemadethebackofhis

necktingle..."Idon'tunderstand,sir,"hesaidcarefully.

Theglowingeyesregardedhimthoughtfully."It'squitesimple,Captain.Imean

to disabuse our great and glorious Jedi Master of his growing belief that he's

indispensabletous."

Pellaeon got it then. "So we wait along Skywalker's projected approach to

Jomarkandambushhim?"

"Precisely,"Thrawnnodded."Atwhichpointwedecidewhethertocapturehim

forC'baoth—"hiseyeshardened"—orsimplykillhim."

Pellaeon stared at him, feeling his jaw drop. "You promised C'baoth he could

havehim."

"I'm reconsidering the deal," Thrawn told him coolly. "Skywalker has proved

himself to be highly dangerous, and by all accounts has already withstood at

least one attempt to turn him. C'baoth should have more success bending

Skywalker'ssisterandhertwinstohiswill."

Pellaeonglancedbehindhimatthecloseddoors,remindinghimselffirmlythat

there was no way for C'baoth to eavesdrop on their conversation with all the

ysalamiriscatteredaroundtheChimera'sbridge.

"Perhapshe'slookingforwardtothechallenge,sir,"hesuggestedcautiously.

"There will be many challenges for him to face before the Empire is

reestablished. Let him save his talents and cunning for those." Thrawn turned

backtohismonitors."Atanyrate,he'lllikelyforgetallaboutSkywalkeroncehe

hasthesister. Iexpect our JediMaster's wantsanddesires willproveto beas

erraticashismoods."

Pellaeon thought back. On the matter of Skywalker, at least, C'baoth's desire

seemed to have remained remarkably steady. "I respectfully suggest, Admiral,

thatwestillmakeeverypossibleefforttotakeSkywalkeralive."Hehadaflash

of inspiration— "Particularly since his death might induce C'baoth to leave

JomarkandreturntoWayland."

Thrawn looked back at him, glowing eyes narrowed. "Interesting point,

Captain,"hemurmuredsoftly.

"Interestingpoint,indeed.You'reright,ofcourse.Byallmeans,wemustkeep

himoffWayland.AtleastuntiltheworkontheSpaarticylindersisfinishedand

wehavealltheysalamiritherewe'regoingtoneed."

He smiled tightly. "His reaction to what we're doing there might not be at all

pleasant."

"Agreed,sir,"Pellaeonsaid.

Thrawn's lip twitched. "Very well, Captain: I accede to your suggestion." He

straightenedhimselfinhisseat."It'stimetobegoing.PreparetheChimaerafor

lightspeed."

Pellaeon turned back to his displays. "Yes, sir. Direct route to the rendezvous

point?"

"We'llbemakingashortdetourfirst.Iwantyoutoswingusaroundthesystem

tothecommercialout-vectorneartheshieldshipdepotanddropsomeprobesto

watchforSkywalker'sdeparture.

Near-systemandfartherout."HelookedouttheviewportinNkllon'sdirection.

"Andwhoknows?

WhereSkywalkergoes,theMillenniumFalconoftengoes,aswell."

"Andthenwe'llhavethemall."

Chapter14

"Fifty-one,"LandoCalrissiangrowled,throwingaglareatHanandLeiaashe

pacedaconvolutedpatharoundthelowchairsinthelounge."Fifty-oneofmy

best reconditioned mole miners. Fifty-one. That's almost half my work force.

Yourealizethat?—halfmyworkforce."

He dropped down into a chair, but was on his feet again almost immediately,

stalking around the room, his black cloak billowing behind him like a tame

storm cloud. Leia opened her mouth to offer commiseration, felt Han squeeze

herhandwarningly.Obviously,HanhadseenLandointhisstatebefore.

Swallowing back the words, she watched as he continued his caged-animal

pacing.

Andwithoutobviouswarning,itwasover."I'msorry,"hesaidabruptly,coming

toahaltinfrontofLeiaandtakingherhand."I'mneglectingmydutiesashost,

aren'tI?WelcometoNkllon."Heraisedherhand,kissedit,andwavedhisfree

hand toward the lounge window. "So. What do you think of my little

enterprise?"

"Impressive,"Leiasaid,andmeantit."Howdidyouevercomeupwiththeidea

forthisplace?"

"Oh,it'sbeenkickingaroundforyears,"heshrugged,pullinghergentlytoher

feetandguidingherovertothewindow,hishandrestingagainstthesmallofher

back.EversincesheandHanhadgottenmarried,Leiahadnoticedaresurgence

ofthiskindofcourtlybehaviortowardherfromLando—behaviorthatharkened

back to their first meeting at Cloud City. She'd puzzled over that for a while,

untilshe'dnoticedthatalltheattentionseemedtoannoyHan.

Or,atleast,itnormallyannoyedhim.Rightnow,hedidn'tevenseemtonotice.

"IfoundplansforsomethingsimilaronceintheCloudCityfiles,datingbackto

whenLordEcclessisFiggfirstbuilttheplace,"Landocontinued,wavingahand

towardthewindow.Thehorizonrolledgentlyasthecitywalked,themotionand

viewremindingLeiaofherhandfulofexperiencesaboardsailingships.

"Mostof themetal theyused camefrom thehot innerplanet,Miser,andeven

with Ugnaughts doing the mining they had a devil of a time with it. Figg

sketchedoutanideaforarollingminingcenterthatcouldstaypermanentlyout

ofdirectsunlightonMiser'sdarkside.Butnothingevercameofit."

"Itwasn'tpractical,"Hansaid,comingupbehindLeia."Miser'sterrainwastoo

roughforsomethingonwheelstogetacrosseasily."

Landolookedathiminsurprise."Howdoyouknowaboutthat?"

Hanshookhisheaddistractedly,hiseyessearchingthelandscapeandthestarry

skyaboveit."IspentanafternoongoingthroughtheImperialfilesonce,back

whenyouweretryingtotalkMonMothmaintohelpingfundthisplace.Wanted

tomakesuresomeoneelsehadn'talreadytrieditandfoundoutitdidn'twork."

"Nice of you to go to that kind of trouble." Lando cocked an eyebrow. "So,

what'sgoingon?"

"WeshouldprobablywaituntilLukegetsheretotalkaboutit,"Leiasuggested

quietlybeforeHancouldanswer.

LandoglancedpastHan,asifonlyjustnoticingLuke'sabsence."Whereishe,

anyway?"

"He wanted to catch a fast shower and change," Han told him, shifting his

attentiontoasmallore shuttle coming in for a landing. "ThoseX-wingsdon't

havemuchinthewayofcomfort."

"Especially over long trips," Lando agreed, tracing Han's gaze with his eyes.

"I've always thought putting a hyperdrive on something that small was a poor

idea."

"I'dbetterseewhat'skeepinghim,"Handecidedsuddenly."Youhaveacommin

thisroom?"

"It'soverthere,"Landosaid,pointingtowardacurvedwoodenbaratoneendof

thelounge."Keyforcentral;they'lltrackhimdownforyou."

"Thanks,"Hancalledoverhisshoulder,alreadyhalfwaythere.

"It'sbad,isn'tit?"LandomurmuredtoLeia,hiseyesfollowingHanacrossthe

room.

"Bad enough," she admitted. "There's a chance that that Star Destroyer came

herelookingforme."

Foramoment,Landowassilent."Youcamehereforhelp."Itwasn'taquestion.

"Yes."

Hetookadeepbreath."Well...I'lldowhatIcan,ofcourse."

"Thankyou,"Leiasaid.

"Sure," he said. But his eyes drifted from Han to the window and the activity

beyondit,hisexpressionhardeningashedidso.Perhapshewasthinkingofthe

lasttimeHanandLeiahadcometohimforhelp.

Andwhatgivingthathelphadcosthim.



Landolistenedtothewholestoryinsilence,thenshookhishead."No,"hesaid

positively."Iftherewasaleak,itdidn'tcomefromNkllon."

"Howcanyoubesureofthat?"Leiaasked.

"Becausethere'sbeennobountyofferedforyou,"Landotoldher."Wehaveour

fairshareofshadypeoplehere,butthey'realloutforprofit.Noneofthemwould

turn you over to the Empire just for the fun of it. Besides, why would the

Imperialsstealmymoleminersiftheywereafteryou?"

"Harassment,maybe,"Hansuggested."Imean,whystealmoleminersanyway?"

"Yougotme,"Landoconceded."Maybethey'retryingtoputeconomicpressure

ononeofmyclients,ormaybetheyjustwanttodisrupttheNewRepublic'sflow

ofrawmaterialsgenerally.Anyway,that'sbesidethepoint.Thepointisthatthey

tookthemoleminers,andtheydidn'ttakeyou."

"Howdoyouknowthere'sbeennobountyoffer?"Lukeaskedfromhisseatoff

totheright—aseat,Leiahadalreadynoted,whereheandhislightsaberwould

bebetweenhisfriendsandtheroom'sonlydoor.Apparently,hedidn'tfeelany

saferherethanshedid.

"Because I'd have heard about it," Lando said, sounding a little miffed. "Just

becauseI'mrespectabledoesn'tmeanI'moutoftouch."

"Itoldyouhe'dhavecontacts,"Hansaidwithagrimlysatisfiednod."Great.So

whichofthesecontactsdoyoutrust,Lando?"

"Well—"Landobrokeoffasabeepcamefromhiswrist."Excuseme,"hesaid,

sliding a compact comlink from the decorative wristband and flicking it on.

"Yes?"

Avoicesaid something,inaudiblefromwhereLeiawassitting."Whatkindof

transmitter?"Landoasked,frowning.Thevoicesaidsomethingelse."Allright,

I'lltakecareofit.Continuescanning."

He closed down the comlink and replaced it in his wristband. "That was my

communicationssection,"hesaid,lookingaroundtheroom."They'vepickedup

a short-range transmitter on a very unusual frequency... which appears to be

sendingfromthislounge."

Besideher,LeiafeltHanstiffen."Whatkindoftransmitter?"hedemanded.

"This kind, probably," Luke said. Standing up, he pulled a flattened cylinder

from his tunic and stepped over to Lando. "I thought you might be able to

identifyitforme."

Landotookthecylinder,heftedit."Interesting,"hecommented,peeringclosely

atthealienscriptonitssurface."Ihaven'tseenoneoftheseinyears.Notthis

style,anyway.Where'dyougetit?"

"Itwas buriedin mudin themiddle ofa swamp.Artoo wasable topickitup

fromprettyfaraway,buthecouldn'ttellmewhatitwas."

"That's our transmitter, all right," Lando nodded. "Amazing that it's still

running."

"Whatexactlyis ittransmitting?" Hanasked,eyeing thedeviceas if itwere a

dangeroussnake.

"Justacarriersignal,"Landoassuredhim."Andtherangeissmall—wellunder

aplanetaryradius.

NobodyusedittofollowLukehere,ifthat'swhatyouwerewondering."

"Doyouknowwhatitis?"Lukeasked.

"Sure," Lando said, handing it back. "It's an old beckon call. Pre-Clone Wars

vintage,fromthelooksofit."

"Abeckoncall?"Lukefrowned,cuppingitinhishand."Youmeanlikeaship's

remote?"

"Right,"Landonodded."Onlyalotmoresophisticated.Ifyouhadashipwitha

full-rigslavesystemyoucouldtapinasinglecommandonthecallandtheship

would come straight to you, automatically maneuvering around any obstacles

along the way. Some of them would even fight their way through opposing

ships, if necessary, with a reasonable degree of skill." He shook his head in

memory."Whichcouldbeextremelyusefulattimes."

Hansnortedunderhisbreath."TellthattotheKatanafleet."

"Well,ofcourseyouhavetobuildinsomesafeguards,"Landocountered."But

to simply decentralize important ship's functions into dozens or hundreds of

droidsjust createsitsownsetof problems.The limitedjump-slavecircuitswe

useherebetweentransportsandshieldshipsarecertainlysafeenough."

"Didyouusejump-slavecircuitsonCloudCity,too?"Lukeasked."Artoosaid

hesawyouwithoneoftheserightafterwegotoutofthere."

"Mypersonalshipwasfull-rigged,"Landosaid."IwantedsomethingIcouldget

atamoment'swarning,justincase."Hisliptwitched."Vader'speoplemusthave

founditandshutitdownwhiletheywerewaitingforyou,becauseitsuredidn't

comewhenIcalledit.Yousayyoufounditinaswamp?"

"Yes."LukelookedatLeia."OnDagobah."

Leiastaredathim."Dagobah?"sheasked."AsintheplanetthatDarkJedifrom

Bpfasshfledto?"

Lukenodded."That'stheplace."Hefingeredthebeckoncall,anoddexpression

onhisface."Thismusthavebeenhis."

"Itcouldjustaseasilyhavebeenlostsomeothertimebysomeoneelse,"Lando

pointedout."Pre-CloneWarscallscouldrunforacenturyormoreonstandby."

"No,"Lukesaid,shakinghisheadslowly."Itwashis,allright.ThecavewhereI

founditabsolutelytingleswiththedarkside.Ithinkitmusthavebeentheplace

wherehedied."

For a long moment they all sat in silence. Leia studied her brother closely,

sensing the new tension lying just beneath the surface of his thoughts.

Something else, besides the beckon call, must have happened to him on

Dagobah.Somethingthattiedinwiththenewsenseofurgencyshe'dfeltonthe

wayintowardNkllon...

Luke looked up sharply, as if sensing the flow of Leia's thoughts. "We were

talkingaboutLando'ssmugglercontacts,"hesaid.Themessagewasclear:this

wasnotthetimetoaskhimaboutit.

"Right,"Hansaidquickly.Apparently,he'dgottenthehint,too."Ineedtoknow

whichofyourmarginallylegalfriendsyoucantrust."

Theothershrugged."Dependsonwhatyouneedtotrustthemwith."

Hanlookedhimstraightintheeye."Leia'slife."

SeatedonHan'sotherside,Chewbaccagrowledsomethingthatsoundedstartled.

Lando'smouthfellopen,justslightly."You'renotserious."

Han nodded, his eyes still locked on Lando's face. "You saw how close the

Imperials are breathing down our necks. We need a place to hide her until

Ackbarcanfindouthowthey'regettingtheirinformation.Sheneedstostayin

touchwithwhat'shappeningonCoruscant,whichmeansadiplomaticstationwe

canquietlytapinto."

"And a diplomatic station means encrypt codes," Lando said heavily. "And

quietlytappingintoencryptcodesmeansfindingaslicer."

"Asliceryoucantrust."

Lando hissed softly between his teeth and slowly shook his head. "I'm sorry,

Han,butIdon'tknowanyslicersItrustthatfar."

"Do you know any smuggler groups that have one or two on retainer?" Han

persisted.

"ThatItrust?"Landopondered."Notreally.Theonlyonewhomightevencome

closeisasmugglerchiefnamedTalonKarrde—everyoneI'vetalkedtosayshe's

extremelyhonestinhistradedealings."

"Haveyouevermethim?"Lukeasked.

"Once,"Landosaid."Hestruckmeasaprettycoldfish—calculatingandhighly

mercenary."

"I'veheardofKarrde,"Hansaid."Beentryingformonthstocontacthim,infact.

Dravis—you remember Dravis?—he told me Karrde's group was probably the

biggestonearoundthesedays."

"Couldbe,"Landoshrugged."UnlikeJabba,Karrdedoesn'tgoaroundflaunting

hispowerandinfluence.I'mnotevensurewherehisbaseis,letalonewhathis

loyaltiesare."

"Ifhehasanyloyalties,"Hangrunted;andinhiseyesLeiacouldseetheechoes

ofallthosefruitlesscontactswithsmugglinggroupswhopreferredtositonthe

politicalfence."Alotofthemouttheredon't."

"It's an occupational hazard." Lando rubbed his chin, forehead wrinkled in

thought."Idon'tknow,Han.

I'doffertoputthetwoofyouuphere,butwejustdon'thavethedefensestostop

a really serious attack." He frowned into the distance. "Unless... we do

somethingclever."

"Suchas?"

"Suchastakingashuttleorlivingmoduleandburyingitunderground,"Lando

said,agleamcomingintohiseye."Weputitrightbythedawnline,andwithina

fewhoursyou'dbeunderdirectsunlight.TheImperialswouldn'tevenbeableto

findyouthere,letalonegettoyou."

Hanshookhishead."Toorisky.Ifweranintoanyproblems,therealsowouldn't

beanywayforanyonetogethelptous."Chewbaccapawedathisarm,grunting

softly,andHanturnedtofacetheWookiee.

"Itwouldn'tbe as riskyasit looks," Lando said,shifting his attentiontoLeia.

"We should be able to make the capsule itself foolproof—we've done similar

thingswithdelicatesurveyinstrumentpackswithoutdamagingthem."

"HowlongisNkllon'srotation?"Leiaasked.Chewbacca'sgruntingwasgetting

insistent,butitstillwasn'tloudenoughforhertomakeoutwhatthediscussion

wasallabout.

"Justoverninetystandarddays,"Landotoldher.

"Whichmeanswe'dbecompletelyoutoftouchwithCoruscantforaminimum

offorty-five.Unlessyou'vegotatransmitterthatwouldoperateonthesunside."

Landoshookhishead."Thebestwe'vegotwouldbefriedinminutes."

"Inthatcase,I'mafraid—"

Shebrokeoffas,besideher,Hanclearedhisthroat."Chewiehasasuggestion,"

hesaid,hisfaceandvoiceastudyinmixedfeelings.

Theyalllookedathim."Well?"Leiaprompted.

Han's lip twitched. "He says that if you want, he's willing to take you to

Kashyyyk."

Leia looked past him to Chewbacca, a strange and not entirely pleasant thrill

running through her. "I was under the impression," she said carefully, "that

Wookieesdiscouragedhumanvisitorstotheirworld."

Chewbacca's reply was as mixed as Han's expression. Mixed, but solidly

confident. "The Wookiees were friendly enough to humans before the Empire

cameinandstartedenslavingthem,"Hansaid.

"Anyway,itoughttobepossibletokeepthevisitprettyquiet:you,Chewie,the

NewRepublicrep,andacoupleofothers."

"Except that we're back to the New Republic rep knowing about me," Leia

pointedout.

"Yes,buthe'llbeaWookiee,"Landopointedout."Ifheacceptsyouunderhis

personalprotection,hewon'tbetrayyou.Period."

LeiastudiedHan'sface."Soundsgood.Sotellmewhyyoudon'tlikeit."

AmuscleinHan'scheektwitched."Kashyyykisn'texactlythesafestplaceinthe

galaxy,"hesaidbluntly.

"Especially for non-Wookiees. You'll be living in trees, hundreds of meters

abovetheground—"

"I'll be with Chewie," she reminded him firmly, suppressing a shiver. She'd

heardstoriesaboutKashyyyk'slethalecology,too."You'vetrustedyourownlife

tohimoftenenough."

Heshruggeduncomfortably."Thisisdifferent."

"Why don't you go with them?" Luke suggested. "Then she'll be doubly

protected."

"Right,"Hansaidsourly."Iwasplanningto;exceptthatChewiethinksit'llgain

usmoretimeifLeiaandIsplitup.HetakeshertoKashyyyk;Iflyaroundinthe

Falcon,pretendingshe'sstillwithme.Somehow."

Landonodded."Makessensetome."

LeialookedatLuke,theobvioussuggestioncomingtoherlips...anddyingthere

unsaid. Something in his face warned her not to ask him to come with them.

"ChewieandIwillbefine,"shesaid,squeezingHan'shand."Don'tworry."

"I guess that's settled, then," Lando said. "You can use my ship, of course,

Chewie.Infact—"helookedthoughtful"—ifyouwantcompany,Han,maybe

I'llcomealongwithyou."

Hanshrugged,clearlystillunhappywiththearrangement."Ifyouwantto,sure."

"Good,"Landosaid."WeshouldprobablyflyoutofNkllontogether—I'vebeen

planninganoffworldpurchasingtripforacoupleofweeksnow,soI'vegotan

excusetoleave.Oncewe'repasttheshieldshipdepot,ChewieandLeiacantake

myshipandnoone'llbethewiser."

"And then Han sends some messages to Coruscant pretending Leia's aboard?"

Lukeasked.

Landosmiledslyly."Actually,Ithinkwecandoalittlebitbetterthanthat.You

stillhaveThreepiowithyou?"

"He'shelpingArtoorunadamagecheckontheFalcon,"Leiatoldhim."Why?"

"You'llsee,"Landosaid,gettingtohisfeet."This'lltakealittletime,butIthink

it'llbeworthit.Comeon—let'sgotalktomychiefprogrammer."



Thechiefprogrammerwasalittlemanwithdreamyblueeyes,athinswathof

hairarcing likeagray rainbowfrom just overhis eyebrowstothe napeof his

neck, and a shiny borg implant wrapped around the back of his head. Luke

listenedasLandooutlinedtheprocedureandwatchedlongenoughtomakesure

itwasallgoingsmoothly.Then,quietly,heslippedout,returningtothequarters

Lando'speoplehadassignedhim.

He was still there an hour later, poring uselessly over what seemed to be an

endlessstreamofstarcharts,whenLeiafoundhim.

"Thereyouare,"she said,cominginandglancingat thechartsonhisdisplay.

"Wewerestartingtowonderwhereyouwent."

"Ihadsomethingstocheckon,"Lukesaid."Youfinishedalready?"

"Mypart is,"Leiasaid,pullinga chairovertohimand sittingdown. "They're

workingontailoringtheprogramnow.Afterthatit'llbeThreepio'sturn."

Lukeshookhishead."Seemstomethewholethingoughttobesimplerthanall

that."

"Oh,thebasictechniqueis,"Leiaagreed."Apparently,thehardpartisslippingit

pasttherelevantpartofThreepio'swatchdogprogrammingwithoutchanginghis

personalityintheprocess."Shelookedagainatthescreen."Iwasgoingtoask

youifyou'dbeinterestedincomingtoKashyyykwithme,"shesaid,hervoice

tryinghardtobecasual."Butitlookslikeyou'vegotsomewhereelsetogo."

Lukewinced."I'mnotrunningoutonyou,Leia,"heinsisted,wishinghecould

trulybelievethat."ReallyI'mnot.Thisissomethingthatinthelongruncould

meanmoreforyouandthetwinsthananythingIcoulddoonKashyyyk."

"Allright," shesaid, calmlyaccepting thestatement. "Canyou atleasttellme

whereyou'regoing?"

"Idon'tknowyet,"heconfessed."There'ssomeoneoutthereIhavetofind,but

I'mnotsure yetevenwhere tostartlooking." Hehesitated,suddenly awareof

howstrangeandmaybeevencrazythiswasgoingtosound.Buthewasgoingto

havetotellthemeventually."He'sanotherJedi."

Shestaredathim."You'renotserious."

"Whynot?"Lukeasked,frowningather.Herreactionseemedvaguely wrong,

somehow."It'sabiggalaxy,youknow."

"A galaxy in which you were supposedly the last of the Jedi," she countered.

"Isn'tthatwhatyousaidYodatoldyoubeforeyoudied?"

"Yes,"henodded."ButI'mbeginningtothinkhemighthavebeenmistaken."

Hereyebrowsliftedslightly."Mistaken?AJediMaster?"

AmemoryflashedthroughLuke'smind:aghostlyObi-wan,inthemiddleofthe

Dagobah swamp, trying to explain his earlier statements about Darth Vader.

"Jedi sometimes say things that are misleading," he told her. "And even Jedi

Mastersaren'tomniscient."

Hepaused,gazingathissister,wonderinghowmuchofthisheshouldtellher.

TheEmpirewasfarfromdefeated,andthemysteriousJedi'slifemightdepend

on his defense remaining a secret. Leia waited in silence, that concerned

expressiononherface...

"You'll have to keep this to yourself," Luke said at last. "I mean really to

yourself. I don't even want you to tell Han or Lando, unless it becomes

absolutely necessary. They don't have the resistance to interrogation that you

do."

Leiashuddered,buthereyesstayedclear."Iunderstand,"shesaidevenly.

"Allright.DiditeveroccurtoyoutowonderwhyMasterYodawasabletostay

hiddenfromtheEmperorandVaderallthoseyears?"

Sheshrugged."IsupposeIassumedtheydidn'tknowheexisted."

"Yes, but they should have," Luke pointed out. "They knew I existed by my

effectontheForce.WhynotYoda?"

"Somekindofmentalshielding?"

"Maybe.ButIthinkit'smorelikelyitwasbecauseofwherehechosetolive.Or

maybe,"heamended,"whereeventschoseforhimtolive."

Afaintsmilebrushed Leia'slips."Is thiswhereI finallygetto findoutwhere

thissecrettrainingcenterofyourswas?"

"Ididn'twantanyoneelsetoknow,"Lukesaid,movedbysomeobscureimpulse

totrytojustifythatdecisiontoher."Hewassoperfectlyhidden—andevenafter

hisdeathIwasafraidtheEmpiremightbeabletodosomething—"

He broke off. "Anyway, I can't see that it matters now. Yoda's home was on

Dagobah.PracticallynextdoortothedarksidecavewhereIfoundthatbeckon

call."

Her eyes widened in surprise, a surprise that faded into understanding.

"Dagobah," she murmured, nodding slowly as if a private and long-standing

problemhadjustbeenresolved."I'vealwayswonderedhowthatrenegadeDark

Jediwasfinallydefeated.ItmusthavebeenYodawho..."Shegrimaced.

"Who stopped him," Luke finished for her, a shiver running up his back. His

ownskirmisheswithDarthVaderhadbeenbadenough;afull-scaleForcewar

betweenJediMasterswouldbeterrifying."Andheprobablydidn'tstophimwith

alotoftimetospare."

"The beckon call was already on standby," Leia remembered. "He must have

beengettingreadytocallhisship."

Lukenodded."Allofwhichcouldexplainwhythecavewassoheavywiththe

darkside.Whatitdoesn'texplainiswhyYodadecidedtostaythere."

Hepaused,watchingherclosely;andamomentlater,theunderstandingcame.

"Thecaveshieldedhim,"

she breathed. "Just like a pair of positive and negative electric charges close

enoughtogether—toadistantobservertheylookalmostlikenochargeatall."

"I think that's it," Luke nodded again. "And if that's really how Master Yoda

stayedhidden,there'snoreasonwhyanotherJedicouldn'thavepulledthesame

trick."

"I'msureanotherJedicouldhave,"Leiaagreed,soundingreluctant."ButIdon't

thinkthisC'baothrumorisanywherenearsolidenoughtochaseoffafter."

Lukefrowned."WhatC'baothrumor?"

ItwasLeia'sturntofrown."ThestorythataJediMasternamedJorusC'baoth

hasreemergedfromwhereveritwashe'sspentthepastfewdecades."Shestared

athim."Youhadn'theardit?"

Heshookhishead."No."

"Butthen,how—?"

"Someonecalledtome,Leia,duringthebattlethisafternoon.Inmymind.The

wayanotherJediwould."

Foralongmomenttheyjustlookedateachother."Idon'tbelieveit,"Leiasaid.

"I just don't. Where could someone with C'baoth's power and history have

hiddenforsolong?Andwhy?"

"ThewhyIdon'tknow,"Lukeadmitted."Astothewhere—"Henoddedtoward

the display. "That's what I've been looking for. Someplace where a Dark Jedi

might once have died." He looked at Leia again. "Do the rumors say where

C'baothissupposedtobe?"

"It could be an Imperial trap," Leia warned, her voice abruptly harsh. "The

personwhocalledtoyoucouldjustaseasilybeaDarkJedilikeVader,withthis

C'baothrumordangledinfrontofustolureyouin.Don'tforgetthatYodawasn't

countingthem—bothVaderandtheEmperorwerestillalivewhenhesaidyou

werethelastJedi."

"That'sapossibility,"heconceded."Itcouldalsobejustagarbledrumor.Butif

it'snot..."

Heletthesentencehang,unfinished,intheairbetweenthem.Thereweredeep

uncertainties in Leia's face andmind,he couldsee,woventhroughby equally

deep fears for his safety. But even as he watched her he could sense her gain

control over both emotions. In those aspects of her training, she was making

good progress. "He's on Jomark," she said at last, her voice quiet. "At least

accordingtotherumorWedgequotedforus."

Luke turned to the display, called up the data on Jomark. There wasn't much

there. "Not very populated," he said, glancing over the stats and the limited

selectionofmaps."Lessthanthreemillionpeople,alltold.Oratleastbackwhen

this was compiled," he amended, searching for the publication date. "Doesn't

looklikeanyone'stakenofficialnoticeoftheplanetinfifteenyears."Helooked

back at Leia. "Just the sort of place a Jedi might choose to hide from the

Empire."

"You'llbeleavingrightaway?"

Helookedather,swallowingthequickandobviousanswer."No,I'llwaituntil

you and Chewie are ready to go," he said. "That way I can fly out with your

shieldship.Giveyouthatmuchprotection,atleast."

"Thanks." Taking a deep breath, she stood up. "I hope you know what you're

doing."

"SodoI,"hesaidfrankly."ButwhetherIdoornot,it'ssomethingIhavetotry.

ThatmuchIknowforsure."

Leia'sliptwitched."Isupposethat'soneofthethingsI'mgoingtohavetoget

usedto.LettingtheForcemovemearound."

"Don'tworryaboutit,"Lukeadvisedher,gettingtohisfeetandswitchingoffthe

display."Itdoesn'thappenallatonce—yougettoeaseintoit.Comeon;let'sgo

seehowthey'recomingwithThreepio."



"Atlast!"Threepiocried,wavinghisarmsindesperatereliefasLukeandLeia

steppedintotheroom.

"Master Luke! Please, please tell General Calrissian that what he intends is a

seriousviolationofmyprimaryprogramming."

"It'llbeokay,Threepio,"Lukesoothed,steppingovertohim.Fromthefrontthe

droidseemedtobejustsittingthere;itwasonlyasLukegotcloserthathecould

seethemazeofwiressnakingfrombothheadpieceanddorsaljunctionboxinto

the computer console behind him. "Lando and his people will be careful that

nothinghappenstoyou."HeglancedatLando,gotaconfirmingnodinreturn.

"ButMasterLuke—"

"Actually, Threepio," Lando put in, "you could think of this as really just

fulfilling your primary programming in a more complete way. I mean, isn't a

translationdroidsupposedtospeakforthepersonhe'stranslatingfor?"

"Iamprimarily aprotocol droid," Threepiocorrected inasfrosty a toneas he

couldprobablymanage.

"AndIsayagainthatthisisnotthesortofthingcoveredbyanypossiblestretch

ofprotocol."

Theborglookedupfromthepanel,nodded."We'reready,"Landoannounced,

touchingaswitch."Giveitasecond...allright.Saysomething,Threepio."

"Oh,dear,"thedroidsaid—

InaperfectimitationofLeia'svoice.

Artoo, standingacrossthe room, trilled softly. "That's it,"Landosaid,looking

decidedly pleased withhimself."The perfect decoy—" he inclined his head to

Leia"—fortheperfectlady."

"Thisfeelsdecidedlystrange,"Threepiocontinued—Leia'svoice,thistime,ina

thoughtfulmood.

"Soundsgood,"Hansaid,lookingaroundattheothers."Wereadytogo,then?"

"Give me an hour to log some last-minute instructions," Lando said, starting

towardthedoor."It'lltakeourshieldshipthatlongtogethere,anyway."

"We'll meet you at the ship," Han called after him, stepping over to Leia and

takingherarm."Comeon—we'dbettergetbacktotheFalcon."

Sheputherhandonhis,smilingreassuringlyupathim."It'llbeallright,Han.

ChewieandtheotherWookieeswilltakegoodcareofme."

"They'dbetter,"Hangrowled,glancingtowheretheborgwasundoingthelast

of the cables connecting Threepio to the console. "Let's go, Threepio. I can

hardlywaittohearwhatChewiethinksofyournewvoice."

"Oh,dear,"thedroidmurmuredagain."Oh,dear."

Leiashookherheadin wonderastheyheadedfor thedoor."DoIreally,"she

asked,"soundlikethat?"

Chapter15

Hanhad fullyexpected thatthey wouldbe attackedduring thelong shieldship

journeyoutfromNkllon.

For once, thankfully, his hunch was wrong. The three ships reached the

shieldshipdepotwithoutincidentandmadeashorthyperspacejumptogetherto

the outer fringes of the Athega system. There, Chewbacca and Leia replaced

Lando aboard his yacht-style ship, the Lady Luck , and started off toward

Kashyyyk.LukewaiteduntiltheyweresafelyawaybeforesecuringhisX-wing

back from defense posture and heading off on some mysterious errand of his

own.

LeavingHanaloneontheFalconwithLandoandThreepio.

"She'll be fine," Lando assured him, punching at the nav computer from the

copilot'sseat."She'sassafenowasshe'severlikelytobe.Don'tworry."

Withaneffort,Hanturnedfromtheviewporttofacehim.Therewasnothingto

seeoutthere,anyway—theLadyLuckwaslonggone."Youknow,that'salmost

exactly the same thing you said back on Boordii," he reminded Lando sourly.

"That botched dolfrimia run—remember? You said, 'It'll be fine; don't worry

aboutit.'"

Landochuckled."Yes,butthistimeImeanit."

"That'snicetoknow.So,whatdoyouhaveplannedforentertainment?"

"Well, the first thing we ought to do is have Threepio send off a message to

Coruscant,"Landosaid.

"GivetheimpressionthatLeia'saboardtoanyImperialswhomightbelistening.

Afterthat,wecouldmoveacoupleofsystemsoverandsendanothermessage.

Andafterthat—"hethrewHanasidewaysglance"—Ithoughtwemightliketo

doalittlesightseeing."

"Sightseeing?" Han echoed suspiciously. Lando was practically glowing with

innocence, a look he almost never used except when he was trying to sucker

someoneintosomething."Youmeanasinflyingalloverthegalaxylookingfor

replacementmoleminers?"

"Han!"Landoprotested,lookinghurtnow."AreyousuggestingI'dstoopsolow

astotryandconyouintohelpingmerunmybusiness?"

"Forgive me," Han said, trying not to sound too sarcastic. "I forgot—you're

respectablenow.Sowhatsightsarewegoingtosee?"

"Well..."Casually,Landoleanedbackandlacedhisfingerstogetherbehindhis

head. "You mentioned earlier that you hadn't been able to get in touch with

TalonKarrde.Ithoughtwemighttakeanothercrackatit."

Hanfrownedathim."Youserious?"

"Whynot?Youwantcargoships,andyouwantagoodslicer.Karrdecansupply

both."

"Idon'tneedasliceranymore,"Hansaid."Leia'sassafenowasshe'severlikely

tobe.Remember?"

"Sure—untilsomeoneleaksthenewsthatshe'sthere,"Landocountered."Idon't

thinktheWookieeswould,buttherearenon-Wookieetradersflyinginandout

ofKashyyyk allthetime.Allit takesis onepersonspottingher,and you'llbe

right back where you were when you first got here." He cocked an eyebrow.

"AndKarrdemightalsohavesomethingonthismysteriousImperialcommander

who'sbeenrunningyouincircleslately."

The commander who was almost certainly also the man behindthe attacks on

Leia..."YouknowhowtomakecontactwithKarrde?"

"Notdirectly,butIknowhowtogettohispeople.AndIthoughtthataslongas

wehadThreepio andhis umpteen millionlanguages aboardanyway,we'd just

goaheadandcutanewcontactpath."

"That'lltaketime."

"Notasmuchasyoumightthink,"Landoassuredhim."Besides,anewpathwill

coverourtrailbetter—yoursandmineboth."

Hangrimaced,butLandowasright.AndwithLeiasafelyhiddenaway,atleast

fornow,theycouldaffordtoplayitcautious."Allright,"hesaid."Assumingwe

don'twindupplayingtagwithaStarDestroyerortwo."

"Right,"Landoagreedsoberly."ThelastthingwewantistodrawtheImperials

ontoKarrde'stail.

We've got enough enemies out there as it is." He tapped the ship's intercom

switch."Threepio?Youthere?"

"Ofcourse,"Leia'svoicereturned.

"Comeonuphere,"Landotoldthedroid."Timeforyourdebutperformance."



Thecommandroomwasfilledwithsculpturesinsteadofpicturesthistime:over

a hundred of them, lining the walls in holographic niches as well as scattered

around the floor on ornate pedestals. The variety, as Pellaeon had come to

expect,wasastonishing,rangingfromhuman-stylechunksofsimplestoneand

woodtoothersthatwere moreliketethered livingcreaturesthan worksof art.

Each was illuminated by a hazy globe of light, giving sharp contrast to the

darknessofthespacesbetweenthem."Admiral?"

Pellaeon called uncertainly, trying to see around the artwork and through the

gloom.

"Come in, Captain," Thrawn's coolly modulated voice beckoned. Over at the

commandchair,justabovethehazywhiteoftheGrandAdmiral'suniform,two

glowingredslitsappeared."Youhavesomething?"

"Yes, sir," Pellaeon told him, walking to the console ring and handing a data

card over it. "One of our probes in the outer Athega system has picked up

Skywalker.Andhiscompanions."

" And his companions," Thrawn echoed thoughtfully. He took the data card,

inserted it, and for a minute watched the replay in silence. "Interesting," he

murmured."Interesting,indeed.What'sthatthirdship—theonemaneuveringto

linkwiththeMillenniumFalcon'sdorsalhatch?"

"We'vetentativelyidentifieditastheLadyLuck,"Pellaeonsaid."Administrator

LandoCalrissian'spersonalship.Oneoftheotherprobescopiedatransmission

statingthatCalrissianwasleavingNkllononapurchasingtrip."

"DoweknowthatCalrissiandid,infact,boardtheshipatNkllon?"

"Ah...no,sir,notforcertain.Wecantrytogetthatinformation,though."

"Unnecessary," Thrawn said. "Our enemies are clearly past the stage of such

childish tricks." Thrawn pointed to the display, where the Millennium Falcon

andtheLadyLuckwerenowjoinedtogether.

"Observe, Captain, their strategy. Captain Solo and his wife and probably the

Wookiee Chewbacca board their ship on Nkllon, while Calrissian similarly

boardshis.TheyflytotheouterAthegasystem...

andtheretheymakeaswitch."

Pellaeonfrowned."Butwe've—"

"Shh,"Thrawncuthimoffsharply,holdingupafingerforsilence,hiseyeson

thedisplay.Pellaeonwatched,too,asabsolutelynothinghappened.Afterafew

minutesthetwoshipsseparated,maneuveringcarefullyawayfromeachother.

"Excellent,"Thrawnsaid,freezingtheframe."Fourminutesfifty-threeseconds.

They'reinahurry,ofcourse,lockedtogethersovulnerably.Whichmeans..."His

forehead furrowed in concentration, then cleared. "Three people," he said, a

touchofsatisfactioninhisvoice."Threepeopletransferred,inonedirectionor

theother,betweenthosetwoships."

"Yes,sir,"Pellaeon nodded, wonderinghowin the EmpiretheGrand Admiral

hadfiguredthatoneout.

"Atanyrate,weknow thatLeiaOrganaSoloremainedaboardtheMillennium

Falcon."

"Dowe?"Thrawnasked,lazilypolite."Doweindeed?"

"Ibelievewedo,sir,yes,"Pellaeonsaid,quietlyinsistent.TheGrandAdmiral

hadn't seen the entire playback, after all. "Right after the Lady Luck and

Skywalker'sX-wingleft,weinterceptedatransmissionfromherthatdefinitely

originatedfromtheMillenniumFalcon."

Thrawnshookhis head. "Arecording,"he said, hisvoice leaving noroomfor

argument. "No; they're cleverer than that. A voiceprint-doctored droid, then—

probablySkywalker's3POprotocoldroid.LeiaOrganaSolo,yousee,wasone

ofthetwopeoplewholeftwiththeLadyLuck."

Pellaeonlookedatthedisplay."Idon'tunderstand."

"Considerthepossibilities,"Thrawnsaid,leaningbackinhischairandsteepling

his fingertips in front of him. "Three people start out aboard the Millennium

Falcon,oneaboardtheLadyLuck.Threepeoplethentransfer.ButneitherSolo

nor Calrissian is the type to turn his ship over to the dubious command of a

computer or droid. So each shipmustendupwithatleast one person aboard.

Youfollowsofar?"

"Yes,sir,"Pellaeonsaid."Thatdoesn'ttelluswhoiswhere,though."

"Patience,Captain,"Thrawninterruptedhim."Patience.Asyousay,thequestion

nowisthatofthefinalmakeupofthecrews.Fortunately,onceweknowthere

werethreetransfers,thereareonlytwopossiblecombinations.EitherSoloand

Organa Solo are together aboard the Lady Luck , or else Organa Solo and the

Wookieearethere."

"Unlessoneofthetransferswasadroid,"Pellaeonpointedout.

"Unlikely,"Thrawn shook hishead."Historically, Solohas never likeddroids,

nor allowed them to travel aboard his ship except under highly unusual

circumstances.Skywalker'sdroidanditsastromechcounterpartappeartobethe

soleexceptions;andthankstoyourtransmissiondata,wealreadyknowthatthat

droidhasremainedontheMillenniumFalcon."

"Yes,sir,"Pellaeonsaid,notentirelyconvincedbutknowingbetterthantoargue

thepoint."ShallIputoutanalertontheLadyLuck,then?"

"That won't be necessary," Thrawn said, and this time the satisfaction came

throughclearly."IknowexactlywhereLeiaOrganaSoloisgoing."

Pellaeonstaredathim."You'renotserious.Sir."

"Perfectly serious, Captain," Thrawn said evenly. "Consider. Solo and Organa

SolohavenothingtogainbysimplytransferringtogethertotheLadyLuck—the

MillenniumFalconisfaster and far better defended. This exerciseonlymakes

sense if Organa Solo and the Wookiee are together." Thrawn smiled up at

Pellaeon."Andgiventhat,thereisonlyonelogicalplaceforthemtogo."

Pellaeon looked at the display, feeling slightly sandbagged. But the Grand

Admiral'slogictrackedclean.

"Kashyyyk?"

"Kashyyyk," Thrawn confirmed. "They know they can't evade our Noghri

forever,andsothey'vedecidedtosurroundherwithWookiees.Forallthegood

itwilldothem."

Pellaeonfelthisliptwitch.He'dbeenaboardoneoftheshipsthathadbeensent

toKashyyyktocaptureWookieesfortheEmpire'sslavetrade."Itmaynotbeas

easyasitsounds,Admiral,"hecautioned.

"Kashyyyk's ecology can best be described as a layered deathtrap. And the

Wookieesthemselvesareextremelycapablefighters."

"SoaretheNoghri,"Thrawncounteredcoldly."Now.WhatofSkywalker?"

"His vector away from Athega was consistent with a course toward Jomark,"

Pellaeontoldhim."Ofcourse,hecouldeasilyhavealtereditoncehewasoutof

rangeofourprobes."

"He'sgoingthere,"Thrawnsaid,liptwistinginatightsmile."OurJediMaster

hassaidso,hasn'the?"

TheGrandAdmiralglancedatthechronoonhisdisplayboard."We'llleavefor

Jomarkimmediately.

Howmuchleadtimewillwehave?"

"Aminimumoffourdays,assumingthatSkywalker'sX-winghasn'tbeenoverly

modified.Morethanthat,dependingonhowmanystopovershehastomakeon

theway."

"He'llmakenostopovers,"Thrawnsaid."Jediuseahibernationstatefortripsof

suchlength.Forourpurposes,though,fourdayswillbequiteadequate."

Hestraightenedinhis chairandtouchedaswitch.Thecommandroom'slights

came back up, the holographic sculptures fading away. "We'll need two more

ships," he told Pellaeon. "An Interdictor Cruiser to bring Skywalker out of

hyperspacewherewewanthim,andsomekindoffreighter.Anexpendableone,

preferably."

Pellaeonblinked."Expendable,sir?"

"Expendable,Captain. We'regoingto setup theattackas apure accident—an

opportunity that will seem to have arisen while we were investigating a

suspicious freighter for Rebellion munitions." He cocked an eyebrow. "That

way,yousee,weretaintheoptionofturninghimovertoC'baothifwechooseto

doso,withoutevenSkywalkerrealizinghewasactuallyambushed."

"Understood, sir," Pellaeon said. "With your permission, I'll get the Chimaera

underway."Heturnedtogo—Andpaused.Halfwayacrosstheroom,oneofthe

sculptureshadnotdisappearedwiththeothers.

Sittingallaloneinitsglobeoflight,itslowlywrithedonitspedestallikeawave

insomebizarrealienocean."Yes,"Thrawnsaidfrombehindhim."Thatoneis

indeedreal."

"It's... very interesting," Pellaeon managed. The sculpture was strangely

hypnotic.

"Isn't it?" Thrawn agreed, his voice sounding almost wistful. "It was my one

failure,outontheFringes.

Theonetimewhenunderstandingarace'sartgavemenoinsightatallintoits

psyche. At least not at the time. Now, I believe I'm finally beginning to

understandthem."

"I'msurethatwillproveusefulinthefuture,"Pellaeonoffereddiplomatically.

"I doubt it," Thrawn said, in that same wistful voice. "I wound up destroying

theirworld."

Pellaeonswallowed."Yes,sir,"hesaid,startingagainforthedoor.Hewinced

onlyalittleashepassedthesculpture.

Chapter16

There was no dreaming in the Jedi hibernation trance. No dreaming, no

consciousness, virtually no awareness of the outside world. It was very much

likeacoma,infact,exceptforoneinterestinganomaly:despitetheabsenceof

true consciousness, Luke's time sense still somehow managed to function. He

didn'tunderstandit,exactly,butitwassomethinghe'dlearnedtorecognizeand

use.

It was that time sense, coupled with Artoo's frantic gurgling in the foggy

distance,thatwashisfirsthintsomethingwaswrong.

"Allright,Artoo,I'mawake,"hereassuredthedroidasheworkedhiswayback

towardconsciousness.

Blinking the gummy feeling out of his eyes, he gave the instruments a quick

scan.Thereadingsconfirmedwhathistimesensehadalreadytoldhim:theX-

winghadcomeoutofhyperspacenearlytwentylight-yearsshortofJomark.The

proximityindicatorregisteredtwoshipspracticallyontopofhimahead,witha

thirdofftoonesideinthedistance.Stillblinking,heraisedhisheadforalook.

Andwitharushofadrenalinecamefullyawake.Directlyaheadofhimwaswhat

looked like a light freighter, a blazing overload in its engine section visible

throughcrumpledandhalf-vaporizedhullplates.

Beyondit,loominglikeadarkcliffface,wasanImperialStarDestroyer.

Anger, fear, aggression— the dark side of the Force are they.Withan effort,

Luke forced down his fear. The freighter was between him and the Star

Destroyer;concentratingontheirlargerprey,theImperialsmightnotevenhave

noticed his arrival. "Let's get out of here, Artoo," he said, keying the controls

back to manual and swinging the X-wing hard around. The etheric rudder

whined in protest with the turn— "Unidentified starfighter," a harsh voice

boomed from the speaker. "This is the Imperial Star Destroyer Chimaera .

Transmityouridentificationcodeandstateyourbusiness."

Somuchforhopinghewouldn'tbenoticed.Inthedistancenow,Lukecouldsee

whatitwasthathadyankedtheX-wingoutofhyperspace:thethirdshipwasan

Interdictor Cruiser, the Empire's favorite tool for keeping opponents from

jumpingtolightspeed.Obviously,they'dbeenlyinginwaitforthefreighter;it

wasjusthisbadluckthathe'drunacrosstheInterdictor'sprojectedmassshadow

andbeenkickedoutofhyperspacealongwithit.

Thefreighter.Closinghiseyesbrieflywithconcentration,Lukereachedoutwith

theForce,tryingtodiscoverwhetheritwasaRepublicship,aneutral,orevena

piratethat theChimaera hadcaught. Buttherewasnohint ofany lifeaboard.

Eitherthecrewhadescaped,orelsethey'dalreadybeentakenprisoner.

Eitherway,therewasnothingLukecoulddoforthemnow."Artoo,findmethe

nearestedgeofthatInterdictor'sgravitywavecone,"heordered,throwingtheX-

wing into a stomach-churning downward drop that even the acceleration

compensator couldn't quite handle. If he could keep the freighter directly

betweenhimandtheStarDestroyer,hemightbeabletogetoutofrangebefore

theycouldbringatractorbeamtobear.

"Unidentifiedstarfighter."Theharshvoicewas startingtogetangry."Irepeat,

transmityouridentificationcodeorpreparetobedetained."

"ShouldhavebroughtoneofHan'sfalseIDcodeswithme,"Lukemutteredto

himself."Artoo?Where'sthatedgeestimate?"

The droid beeped, and a diagram appeared on the computer scope. "That far,

huh?"Lukemurmured.

"Well,nothingtodobutgoforit.Hangon."

"Unidentifiedstarfighter—"

The rest of the harangue was drowned out by the roar of the drive as Luke

abruptly kicked the ship to full power. Almost lost in the noise was Artoo's

questioningtrilling."No,Iwantthedeflectorshieldsdown,"Lukeshoutedback.

"Weneedtheextraspeed."

Hedidn'taddthatiftheStarDestroyerwasreallyseriousaboutvaporizingthem,

thepresenceorabsenceofshieldswouldn'tmattermuchatthisrange,anyway.

ButArtooprobablyalreadyknewthat.

ButiftheImperialsdidn'tseeminterestedinvaporizinghimoutofhand,neither

were they willing to just let him go. On the rear scope, he could see the Star

Destroyermoving upand overthedamagedfreighter,tryingtogetclearof its

interference.

Lukethrew aquick lookattheproximityindicator.Hewas stillwithintractor

beam range, and at their current relative speeds would remain so for the next

coupleofminutes.Whatheneededwassomewaytodistractorblindthem...

"Artoo,Ineedafastreprogrammingononeoftheprotontorpedoes,"hecalled.

"Iwanttodropitatzerodelta-v,thenhaveitturnaroundandheadstraightaft.

Nosensorsorhomingcodes,either—Iwantittogooutcold.Canyoudothat?"

Therewasanaffirmativebeep."Good.Assoonasit'sready,givemeawarning

andthenletitgo."

Heturnedhisattentionbacktotherearscope,gavetheX-wing'scourseaslight

readjustment.Withitsguidancesensorsintheirnormalactivestate,thetorpedo

wouldbesubjecttotheStarDestroyer'simpressivearrayofjammingequipment;

goingoutcoldlikethiswouldlimittheImperials'responsetotryingtoshootit

downwithlaserfire.Theflipsideofthat,ofcourse,wasthatifitwasn'taimed

very accurately, it would shoot right past its intended target without even a

twitch.

Artoobeeped;and with a slightlurch, the torpedo wasaway. Luke watched it

go, reaching out with the Force to give it a slight realignment tap— And a

second later, with a spectacular multiple flash of sympathetic detonations, the

freighterblewup.

Lukelookedattheproximityindicator,mentallycrossinghisfingers.Almostout

ofrangenow.Ifthedebrisfromthefreightercouldscreenoffthetractorbeam

forafewmoreseconds,theyshouldmakeit.

Artoowarbledawarning.Lukeglancedatthetranslation,thenatthelong-range

scope, and felt his stomach tighten. Artoo warbled again, more insistently this

time."Iseeit,Artoo,"Lukegrowled.Itwas,ofcourse,theobvioustacticforthe

Imperialstoemploy.Withthefreighternolongerofanyinterestwhatsoever,the

Interdictor was changing position, swinging around to try to bring its huge

gravity field projectors more fully to bear on the escaping X-wing. Luke

watchedasthecone-shapedfieldareaangledacrossthescope...

"Hang on, Artoo," he called; and, again too abruptly for the compensators to

totallynegate,heswungtheX-wingintoaright-angleturn,blastinglaterallyto

theiroriginalcourse.

From behind him came a shocked screech. "Quiet, Artoo, I know what I'm

doing,"hetoldthedroid.

Offtostarboardnow,theStarDestroyerwasbelatedlytryingtoshiftitsmassive

bulk, pivoting to track Luke's maneuver... and for the first time since the

beginningoftheencounter,flashesoflaserfirebeganlancingout.

Lukemadeaquickdecision.Speedalonewasn'tgoingtosavehimnow,anda

nearmisscouldendthecontestrighthereandnow."Deflectorsup,Artoo,"he

instructed the droid, giving his full attention to his best evasive maneuvering.

"Givemeabalancebetweenshieldpowerandspeed."

Artoo beeped a response, and there was a slight drop in engine noise as the

shields began drawing power. They were going slower, but so far the gamble

seemedtobeworking.CaughtoffbalancebyLuke'sright-anglemaneuver,the

Interdictorwasnowrotatinginthewrongdirection,itsgravitybeamsweeping

acrossLuke'spreviouscourseinsteadoftrackingthecurrentone.Itscommander

was obviouslytrying to correct thatmistake,but the sheer inertiaofthe ship's

massivegravitygeneratorswasonLuke'sside.IfhecouldstayoutoftheStar

Destroyer'srangeforanotherfewseconds,he'dbeoutofthebeamandfreeto

escape to hyperspace. "Stand by for lightspeed," he told Artoo. "Don't worry

aboutdirection—wecan do ashorthop and set thingsup more carefully once

we'reclear."

Artooacknowledged—

Andwithoutwarning,Lukewasslammedhardagainsthisharness.

TheStarDestroyer'stractorbeamhadthem.

Artooshrilled indismay;but Lukehad notimeto comfortthe droidnow.His

straight-linecoursehadsuddenlybecomeanarc,asortofpseudoorbitwiththe

StarDestroyerplayingtheroleofplanetatitscenter.Unlikeatrueorbit,though,

thisonewasn'tstable,andassoonastheImperialsgotanotherbeamfocusedon

him, the circle would quickly degenerate into a tight inward spiral. A spiral

whoseendpointwouldbeinsidetheStarDestroyer'shangarbay.

He dropped the shields, throwing full power once again to the drive, knowing

fullwellitwasmostlikelyafutilegesture.Andhewasright—forasecondthe

beamseemedtofalter,butitquicklycaughtbackupwithhim.Sucharelatively

minorchangeinspeedwastoosmalltofoulupthebeam'strackingequipment.

Butifhecouldfindawaytoarrangeamoremajorchangeinspeed...

"Unidentifiedstarfighter."Theharshvoicewasback,unmistakablygloatingthis

time."You havenochanceofescape; furtherefforts willmerely damageyour

vehicle.Youareorderedtopowerdownandpreparetodock."

Luke clenched his teeth. This was going to be dangerous, but he'd run out of

choices. And he had heard stories of this working at least once before.

Somewhere."Artoo,we'regoingtotrysomethingtricky,"hecalledtothedroid.

"Onmysignal,Iwantyoutoreverse-triggertheaccelerationcompensator—full

power, and bypass the cutoffs if you have to." Something warbled from the

control panel, and he risked a quick look at the scope. His curving arc had

broughthimrighttotheedgeoftheInterdictor'sgravityprojection."Artoo:now.

Andwithascreamofhorriblystressedelectronics,theX-wingcametoasudden

deadstop.

Therewasn'tevenenoughtimeforLuketowonderwhataboardhisshipcould

possiblyhavemadeascreamlikethatbeforehewasagainthrown,evenharder

this time, against his harness. His thumbs, ready on the firing buttons, jabbed

downhard,sendingapairofprotontorpedoeslancingforward;simultaneously,

hepulledthe X-wing upward.TheStar Destroyer's tractorbeam,tracking him

along his path, had momentarily gotten lost by his sudden maneuver. If the

computersguidingthatlockwouldnowbeconsiderateenoughtolatchontothe

proton torpedoes instead of him— And suddenly the torpedoes were gone,

leaving behind only a wisp of their exhaust trail to show that they'd been

snatchedofftheiroriginalcourse.Thegamblehadsucceeded;theStarDestroyer

wasnowsteadilypullinginthewrongtarget.

"We'refree!"hesnappedtoArtoo,throwingfullpowertothedrive."Getready

forlightspeed."

Thedroidtrilledsomething,butLukehadnotimetolookdownatthecomputer

scope for the translation. Realizing their error, and recognizing there was

insufficient time to reestablish a tractor lock, the Imperials had apparently

decidedtogoforastraightkill.AlltheStarDestroyer'sbatteriesseemedtoopen

upatonce,andLukesuddenlyfoundhimselftryingtododgeavirtualsandstorm

oflaserfire.

Forcinghimselftorelax,helettheForceflowthroughhim,allowingittoguide

hishandsonthecontrolsthewayitdidhislightsaber.Theshipjumpedonceasa

shotgotthrough;inhisperipheralvisionhesawthetipofhisdorsal/starboard

lasercannonflashanddisappearintoacloudofsuperheatedplasma.Anearmiss

burned past overhead; another, closer, scorched aline across the transparisteel

canopy.

Anotherwarblecamefromthescope:theywereclearoftheInterdictor'sgravity

shadow."Go!"LukeshoutedtoArtoo.

Andwithasecond,evenmorenerve-wrenchingelectronicscreamfrombehind

him,theskyaheadabruptlyturnedtostarlines.

They'dmadeit.



ForwhatseemedlikeasmalleternityThrawngazedouttheviewport,staringat

the spot where Skywalker's X-wing had been when it had vanished.

Surreptitiously, Pellaeon watched him, wondering tautly when the inevitable

explosion would come. With half an ear he listened to the damage control

reports corning from the Number Four tractor beam projector, carefully not

gettinghimselfinvolvedwiththecleanup.

Thedestructionof one oftheChimera 's tenprojectors was arelativelyminor

loss.Skywalker'sescapewasnot.

Thrawnstirredandturnedaround.Pellaeontensed—"Comewithme,Captain,"

the Grand Admiral said quietly, striding away down the bridge command

walkway.

"Yes,sir,"Pellaeonmurmured,fallingintostepbehindhim,thestoriesofhow

DarthVaderhaddealtwithsubordinates'failuresrunningthroughhismind.

ThebridgewasuncommonlyquietasThrawnledthewaytotheaftstairwayand

descended into the starboard crew pit. He walked past the crewers at their

consoles,pasttheofficersstandingpainfullyerectbehindthem,andcametoa

haltatthecontrolstationforthestarboardtractorbeams."Yourname,"hesaid,

hisvoiceexcruciatinglycalm.

"Cris Pieterson, sir," the young man seated at the console answered, his eyes

wary.

"You were in charge of the tractor beam during our engagement with the

starfighter."Itwasastatement,notaquestion.

"Yes,sir—butwhathappenedwasn'tmyfault."

Thrawn'seyebrowsarched,justabit."Explain."

Pieterson started to gesture to the side, changed his mind in midmotion. "The

target did something with his acceleration compensator that killedhis velocity

vector—"

"I'm aware of the facts," Thrawn cut in. "I'm waiting to hear why his escape

wasn'tyourfault."

"I was never properly trained for such an occurrence, sir," Pieterson said, a

flickerofdefiancetouchinghiseyes."Thecomputerlostthelock,butseemedto

pick it up again right away. There was no way for me to know it had really

pickedupsomethingelseuntil—"

"Untiltheprotontorpedoesdetonatedagainsttheprojector?"

Pietersonheldhisgazeevenly."Yes,sir."

ForalongmomentThrawnstudiedhim."Whoisyourofficer?"heaskedatlast.

Pieterson'seyesshiftedtotheright."EnsignColclazure,sir."

Slowly,deliberately,Thrawnturnedtothetallmanstandingrigidlyatattention

withhisbacktothewalkway."Youareinchargeofthisman?"

Colclazureswallowedvisibly."Yes,sir,"hesaid.

"Washistrainingalsoyourresponsibility?"

"Yes,sir,"Colclazuresaidagain.

"Did you, during that training, run through any scenarios similar to what just

happened?"

"I... don't remember, sir," the ensign admitted. "The standard training package

does includescenarios concerning loss of lockandsubsequent reestablishment

confirmation."

Thrawn threw a brief glance back down at Pieterson. "Did you recruit him as

well,Ensign?"

"No,sir.Hewasaconscript."

"Doesthatmakehimlessworthyofyourtrainingtimethananormalenlistee?"

"No, sir." Colclazure's eyes flicked to Pieterson. "I've always tried to treat my

subordinatesequally."

"I see."Thrawnconsidered a moment, then half turnedtolookpast Pellaeon's

shoulder."Rukh."

PellaeonstartedasRukhbrushedsilentlypasthim;hehadn'trealizedtheNoghri

had followed them down. Thrawn waited until Rukh was standing at his side,

thenturnedbacktoColclazure."Doyouknowthedifferencebetweenanerror

andamistake,Ensign?"

The entire bridge had gone deathly still. Colclazure swallowed again, his face

startingtogopale."No,sir."

"Anyone can make an error, Ensign. But that error doesn't become a mistake

untilyourefusetocorrectit."Heraisedafinger—And,almostlazily,pointed.

Pellaeon never even saw Rukh move. Pieterson certainly never had time to

scream.

Fromfartherdownthecrewpitcamethesoundofsomeonetryingvaliantlynot

tobesick.ThrawnglancedoverPellaeon'sshoulderagainandgestured,andthe

silence was further broken by the sound of a pair of stormtroopers coming

forward. "Dispose of it," the Grand Admiralordered them, turning away from

Pieterson's crumpled body and pinning Colclazure with a stare. "The error,

Ensign," he told the other softly, "has now been corrected. You may begin

trainingareplacement."

He held Colclazure's eyes another heartbeat. Then, seemingly oblivious to the

tensionaroundhim,heturnedbacktoPellaeon."Iwantafulltechnical/tactical

readout on the last few seconds of that encounter, Captain," he said, all calm

businessagain."I'mparticularlyinterestedinhislightspeedvector."

"Ihaveitallhere,sir,"alieutenantspokeupabithesitantly,steppingforwardto

offertheGrandAdmiraladatapad.

"Thank you." Thrawn glanced at it briefly, handed it to Pellaeon. "We'll have

him, Captain," he said, starting back down the crew pit toward the stairway.

"Verysoonnow,we'llhavehim."

"Yes,sir,"Pellaeonagreedcautiously,hurryingtocatchupwiththeother."I'm

sureit'sjustamatteroftime."

Thrawn raised an eyebrow. "You misunderstand me," he said mildly. "I mean

thatliterally.He'soutthererightnow,notveryfaraway.And—"hesmiledslyly

atPellaeon"—he'shelpless."

Pellaeonfrowned."Idon'tunderstand,sir."

"ThatmaneuverheusedhasaninterestingsideeffectIsuspecthedidn'tknow

about,"the GrandAdmiralexplained."Backfiringanaccelerationcompensator

likethatdoesseveredamagetotheadjoininghyperdrive.Alight-yearaway,no

farther,anditwillfailcompletely.Allwehavetodoismakeasearchalongthat

vector, or persuade others to do our searching for us, and he'll be ours. You

follow?"

"Yes,sir,"Pellaeonsaid."ShallIcontacttherestofthefleet?"

Thrawn shook his head. "Preparing for the Sluis Van attack is the fleet's top

priorityatthemoment.No,Ithinkwe'llsubcontractthisoneout.Iwantyouto

send messages to all the major smuggling chiefs whose groups operate in this

area—Brasck, Karrde, Par'tah, any others we have on file. Use their private

frequenciesandencryptcodes—alittlereminderofhowmuchweknowabout

each of them should help ensure their cooperation. Give them Skywalker's

hyperspacevectorandofferabountyofthirtythousandforhiscapture."

"Yes,sir."Pellaeonglancedbackdownthecrewpit,attheactivitystillgoingon

aroundthetractorbeamstation."Sir,ifyouknewthatSkywalker'sescapewas

onlytemporary...?"

"TheEmpire isatwar, Captain,"the GrandAdmiralsaid, hisvoice cold."We

cannotaffordtheluxuryofmenwhosemindsaresolimitedtheycannotadaptto

unexpectedsituations."

He looked significantly at Rukh, then turned those glowing eyes back on

Pellaeon. "Carry out your orders, Captain. Skywalker will be ours. Alive... or

otherwise."

Chapter17

In front of Luke, the scopes and displays glowed softly as the diagnostic

messages, most of them bordered in red, scrolled past. Beyond the displays,

throughthecanopy,he couldseetheX-wing'snose,litfaintlyby thesheenof

distantstarlight.Beyondthatwerethestarsthemselves,blazingallaroundhim

withcoldbrilliance.

And that was all. No sun, no planets, no asteroids, no cometary bodies. No

warships,transports,satellites,orprobes.Nothing.HeandArtoowerestranded,

veryliterally,inthemiddleofnowhere.

Thecomputer'sdiagnosticpackagecametoanend."Artoo?"hecalled."What've

yougot?"

From behind him came a distinctly mournful electronic moan, and the droid's

replyappearedonthecomputerscope."Thatbad,huh?"

Artoomoanedagain, and the computer'ssummarywas replaced by thedroid's

ownassessmentoftheirsituation.

It wasn't good. Luke's reverse-triggering of the acceleration compensator had

caused an unanticipated feedback surge into both hyperdrive motivators—not

enough to fry them on the spot, but scorching them badly enough to cause

suddenfailuretenminutesintotheirescape.AtthePointFourtheshiphadbeen

doingatthetime,thattranslatedintoapproximatelyhalfalight-yearofdistance.

Just for good measure, the same power surge had also completely crystallized

thesubspaceradioantenna.

"Inotherwords,"Lukesaid,"wecan'tleave,wearen'tlikelytobefound,andwe

can'tcallforhelp.

Doesthataboutsumitup?"

Artoobeepedanaddition."Right,"Lukesighed."Andwecan'tstayhere.Notfor

long,anyway."

Lukerubbedahandacrosshischin,forcingbackthesenseofdreadgnawingat

him.Givingintofearwouldonlyrobhimoftheabilitytothink,andthatwas

thelastthinghecouldaffordtoloseatthispoint.

"Allright,"hesaidslowly."Trythis.Wetakethehyperdrivemotivatorsoffboth

enginesand seeif wecansalvageenoughcomponentstoput togethera single

functional one. If we can, we remount it somewhere in the middle of the aft

fuselage where it can handle both engines. Maybe where the S-Foil servo

actuatorisnow—wedon'tneedthattogethome.Possible?"

Artoowhistledthoughtfully."I'mnotaskingifit'llbeeasy,"Lukesaidpatiently

asthedroid'sresponsecameup."Justifitwouldbepossible."

Anotherwhistle,anotherpessimisticmessage."Well,let'sgiveitatryanyway,"

Luke told him, unstrapping his restraints and trying to wriggle around in the

crampedconfinesofthecockpit.Ifhepulledoffthebackoftheejectionseat,he

wouldbeabletogetintothecargocompartmentandthetoolsstoredthere.

Artoowarbledsomethingelse."Don'tworry,I'mnotgoingtogetstuck,"Luke

assuredhim,changinghismindandreachingforthein-cockpitpouchesinstead.

Theglovesandhelmetsealsforhisflightsuitwerestoredthere;it'dbejustas

easy at this point to gear himself for vacuum and then get into the cargo

compartmentthroughitsundersidehatch."Ifyouwanttobehelpful,youmight

pullupthemaintenancespecsandfindoutexactlyhowIgoaboutgettingoneof

thosemotivatorsout.Andcheerup,willyou?

You'restartingtosoundlikeThreepio."

Artoowasstilljabberingindignantlyoverthatcharacterizationwhenthelastof

Luke'shelmetsealscutoffthesound.Buthedidsoundlessfrightened.



IttooknearlytwohoursforLuketogetpastalltheothercablesandtubinginthe

wayandremovetheportenginehyperdrivemotivatorfromitssocket.

It took less than a minute more to discover that Artoo's earlier pessimism had

beenjustified.

"It'sriddledwithcracks,"Luketoldthedroidgrimly,turningthebulkyboxover

inhishands."Thewholeshieldcasing.Justhairlines,really—youcanbarelysee

someofthem.Buttheyrunmostofthelengthofthesides."

Artoogaveasoftgurgle,acommentwhichrequirednotranslation.Lukehadn't

donealotofX-wingmaintenance,butheknewenoughtorecognizethatwithout

anintactsuperconductingshield,ahyperdrivemotivatorwaslittlemorethana

boxofinterconnectedspareparts."Let'snotgiveupyet,"heremindedArtoo."If

theothermotivator'scasingisallrightwemaystillbeinbusiness."

Collectinghistoolkit,feelinginordinatelyclumsyinzero-geefreefall,hemade

hiswayundertheX-wing'sfuselagetothestarboardengine.Ittookonlyafew

minutestoremovetheproperaccesscoverandtiebacksomeoftheinterfering

cables. Then, trying to get both his faceplate and his glow rod together in the

openingwithoutblindinghimself,hepeeredinside.

Acarefullookatthemotivatorcasingshowedthattherewasnoneedtocontinue

theoperation.

For a long moment he just hung there, one knee bumping gently against the

powersurgevent,wonderingwhatinthenameoftheForcetheyweregoingto

donow.HisX-wing,sosturdyandsecureineventhethickofcombat,seemed

nowtobelittlemorethanaterriblyfragilethreadbywhichhislifewashanging

Helookedaroundhim—lookedattheemptinessandthedistantstars—andashe

did so, the vague sense of falling that always accompanied zero-gee came

flooding back in on him. A memory flashed: hanging from the underside of

CloudCity, weakfromfear andthe shockoflosing hisright hand,wondering

howlonghewouldhavethestrengthtohangon.Leia,hecalledsilently,putting

allthepowerofhisnewJediskillintotheeffort.Leia,hearme.Answerme.

There was no answer except for the echoing of the call through Luke's own

mind.Butthen,hehadn'texpectedone.Leiawaslonggone,safeonKashyyyk

bynow,undertheprotectionofChewbaccaandawholeplanetofWookiees.

Hewonderedifshe'deverfindoutwhathadhappenedtohim.

For the Jedi, there is no emotion; there is peace. Luke took a deep breath,

forcingbacktheblackthoughts.No,hewouldnotgiveup.Andifthehyperdrive

couldn'tbefixed... well,perhapstherewassomethingelsethey couldtry."I'm

comingin,Artoo,"heannounced,replacingtheaccesspanelandagaincollecting

histools."Whileyou'rewaiting,Iwantyoutopulleverythingwe'vegotonthe

subspaceradioantenna."

Artoo had thedataassembledby the time Luke got the cockpit canopy sealed

overhimagain.Likethehyperdrivedata,itwasn'tespeciallyencouraging.Made

oftenkilometers of ultrathin superconductingwire wound tightly aroundaU-

shapedcore,asubspaceradioantennawasn'tsomethingthatwassupposedtobe

field-repairable.

Butthen,Lukewasn'ttheaverageX-wingpilot,either.

"All right, here's what we're going to do," he told the droid slowly. "The

antenna's outer wiring is useless, but it doesn't look like the core itself was

damaged.Ifwecanfindtenkilometersofsuperconductingwiresomewhereelse

ontheship,weshouldbeabletomakeourselvesanewone.Right?"

Artoo thought about that, gurgled an answer. "Oh, come on now," Luke

admonishedhim. "You meanto tell meyou can't dowhatsome nonintelligent

wire-wrappingmachinedoesallday?"

Thedroid'sbeepingresponsesoundeddecidedlyindignant.Thetranslationthat

scrolled across the computer scope was even more so. "Well, then, there's no

problem,"Lukesaid,suppressingasmile."I'dguesseithertherepulsorliftdrive

or else the sensor jammer will have all the wire we need. Check on that, will

you?"

Therewasapause,andArtooquietlywhistledsomething."Yes,Iknowwhatthe

lifesupport'slimitationsare,"Lukeagreed."That'swhyyou'llbetheonedoing

allthewiring.I'mgoingtohavetospendmostofthetimebackinhibernation

trance."

Anotherseriesofwhistles."Don'tworryaboutit,"Lukeassuredhim."Aslong

asIcome upeveryfew days forfood and water,hibernationis perfectlysafe.

You'veseenmedoitadozentimes,remember?

Nowgetbusyandrunthosechecks."

Neitherofthetwocomponentshadquitethelengthofwiringtheyneeded,but

afterpokingaroundalittleinthemoreesotericsectionsofhistechnicalmemory,

Artoo came to the conclusion that the eight kilometers available in the sensor

jammershouldbeadequatetocreateatleastalow-efficiencyantenna.

He conceded, however, that there was no way to know for sure until they

actuallytriedit.

It wasanotherhour's work for Luke to getthejammer and antenna out ofthe

ship,striptheruinedwireoffthecoreofthelatter,andmoveeverythingtothe

upper aft fuselage where Artoo's two graspers could reach it. Jury-rigging a

frameworktofeedthewireandprotectitfromsnaggingtookanotherhour,and

hetookahalfhourmoretowatchtheoperationfrominsidetomakesureitwas

goingsmoothly.

Atwhichpointtherewasnothingleftforhimtodo.

"Now, don't forget," he warned the droid as he settled himself as comfortably

into the cockpit seat as possible. "If anything goes wrong—or you even think

something'sabouttogowrong—yougoaheadandwakemeup.Gotthat?"

Artoowhistledhisassurances."Allright,"Lukesaid,moretohimselfthantothe

droid."Iguessthisisit,then."

Hetookadeepbreath,lettinghisgazesweeponelasttimeacrossthestarrysky.

Ifthisdidn'twork...

Buttherewasnopointinworryingaboutthatnow.He'ddoneallhecouldfor

themoment.Itwastimenowforhimtodrawuponinnerpeace,andtoentrust

hisfatetoArtoo.

ToArtoo...andtotheForce.

He took another deep breath. Leia , he called, uselessly, one last time. Then,

turninghismindandthoughtsinward,hebegantoslowhisheart.

Thelastthingherememberedbeforethedarknesstookhimwastheoddsense

thatsomeone,somewhere,hadinfactheardthatfinalcall....



Leia...

Leia jerked awake. "Luke?" she called, propping herself up onone elbow and

peeringintothedimnesssurroundingher.Shecouldhaveswornshe'dheardhis

voice.Hisvoice,orperhapsthetouchofhismind.

Buttherewasnoone.NothingbutthecrampedspaceoftheLadyLuck'smain

cabinandthepoundingofherownheartandthefamiliarbackgroundsoundsof

ashipinflight.And,adozenmetersawayinthecockpit,theunmistakablesense

ofChewbacca'spresence.Andasshewokefurther,she rememberedthatLuke

washundredsoflight-yearsaway.

Itmusthavebeenadream.

With a sigh, she lay back down. But even as she did so, she heard the subtle

changeinsoundandvibrationpatternasthemainsublightdriveshutdownand

therepulsorliftkickedin.Listeningcloser,shecouldhearthefaintsoundofair

rushingpastthehull.

Slightlyaheadofschedule,theywerecomingintoKashyyyk.

Shegotoutofbedandfoundherclothes,feelingherquietmisgivingsgnawing

withrenewedforceasshegotdressed.HanandChewbaccacouldmakeallthe

reassuring noises they wanted, but she'd read the diplomatic reports, and she

knewfullwellhowstrongtheundercurrentofresentmentwasthattheWookiees

still harbored toward humans. Whether her status as a member of the New

Republic hierarchy would make up for that was, in her view, entirely

problematical.

Especiallygivenherchronicdifficultyinunderstandingtheirlanguage.

Thethoughtmadeherwince,andnotforthefirsttimesinceleavingNkllon,she

wishedshe'dhadLandousesomeotherdroidforhislittlevoice-matchingtrick.

Having Threepio and his seven-million-language translator along would have

madethiswholethingsomuchlessawkward.

TheLadyLuckwasalreadydeepintotheatmospherebythetimeshearrivedin

thecockpit,skimming low overasurprisingly flat layerofclouds and making

smoothcurvesaroundthetreetopsthatwereoccasionallyvisiblepokingthrough

them.Sheremembered when she'd first comeacross a reference to thesizeof

Kashyyyk's trees;she'dhad a full-blown argument with the Senatelibrarianat

thetimeabouthowthegovernmentcouldnotaffordtohaveitsrecordsdatashot

throughwithsuch clearlyabsurderrors.Evennow,withthem rightinfrontof

her,shefoundthethingshardtobelieve."Isthatsizetypicalforwroshyrtrees?"

sheaskedChewbaccaassheslippedintotheseatbesidehim.

Chewbaccagrowledanegative:theonesvisibleabovethecloudswereprobably

halfakilometertallerthantheaverage."They'retheonesyouputnurseryrings

on,then,"Leianodded.

He looked at her, and even with her limited abilityto read Wookiee faces his

surprisewasquiteevident.

"Don'tlooksoshocked,"sheadmonishedhimwithasmile."Someofushumans

knowalittleaboutWookieeculture.Wearen'tallignorantsavages,youknow."

For a moment he just stared at her. Then, with an urf-urf-urf of laughter, he

turnedbacktothecontrols.

Aheadandtotheright,atightergroupoftheextra-tallwroshyrtreeshadcome

intoview.ChewbaccaturnedtheLadyLucktowardit,andwithinafewminutes

theywereclose enoughforLeia toseethe network ofcables or thinbranches

linking them together just above cloud height. Chewbacca circled the ship

partwayaround,bringingitwithintheperimeter;andthen,withjustagrowlof

warning,droppedsharplydownintotheclouds.

Leia grimaced. She'd never really liked flying blind, especially in an area

crowded with obstacles the size of wroshyr trees. But almost before the Lady

Luck was completely enveloped by the thick white fog they were clear of it

again. Immediately below them was another cloud layer. Chewbacca dropped

them into that one, too, and drove through ittoclearairagain—Leia inhaled

sharply. Filling the entire gap between the group of massive trees, apparently

hangingsuspendedinmidair,wasacity.

Not justacollection of primitive hutsandfires like the Ewok treevillageson

Endor.This wasa real,genuinecity,stretchingoutovera squarekilometer or

more of space. Even from this distance she could see that the buildings were

largeandcomplex,someofthemtwoorthreestorieshigh,andthattheavenues

betweenthem werestraight andcarefully laidout. Thehugebolesofthe trees

poked up around and, in some places, through the city, giving the illusion of

giantbrowncolumnssupportingarooftopofclouds.Surroundingthecityonall

sides,strangelycoloredsearchlightbeamslancedoutward.

Besideher,Chewbaccarumbledaquestion."No,I'veneverevenseenholosofa

Wookieevillage,"shebreathed."Myloss,obviously."Theyweregettingcloser

now;closeenoughforhertoseethattheCloudCity-typeunipodshe'dexpected

wasnowheretobeseen.

For that matter, there was no support of any kind visible. Was the whole city

beingheldupbyrepulsorlifts?

TheLadyLuckbankedslightly totheleft.Directlyaheadofthemnow, atone

edgeofthecityandalittleaboveit,wasacircularplatformrimmedwithlanding

lights.Theplatformseemedtobestickingstraightoutfromoneofthetrees,and

ittookafewsecondsforhertorealizethatthewholethingwasnothingmoreor

lessthantheremnantofahugelimbthathadbeenhorizontallycutoffnearthe

trunk.

Anotinsignificantengineeringfeat.Dimly,shewonderedhowthey'ddisposed

oftherestofthelimb.

Theplatformdidn'tlooknearlybigenoughtoaccommodateashipthesizeofthe

Lady Luck, but a quick glance back at the city itself showed that the apparent

smallness was merely a trick of the tree's deceptive scale. By the time

Chewbaccaputthemdownonthefire-blackenedwood,infact,itwasclearthat

theplatformcouldnotonlyeasilyhandletheLadyLuck,butprobablyfull-sized

passengerliners,aswell.

Or,forthatmatter,ImperialStrikeCruisers.Perhaps,Leiadecided,sheshouldn't

inquiretoodeeplyintothecircumstancesoftheplatform'sconstruction.

Shehad half expectedthe Wookieestosend adelegation outtomeet her,and

she turned out to have been half right. Two of the giant aliens were waiting

besidetheLadyLuckasChewbaccaloweredtheentryramp,indistinguishableto

her untrained eye except for their slightly different heights and the noticeably

differentdesignsofthewidebaldricscurvingfromshouldertowaistacrosstheir

brownfur.

The taller of the two, his baldric composed of gold-threaded tan, took a step

forwardasLeiaheadeddowntheramp.Shecontinuedtowardhim,usingallthe

calmingJeditechniquessheknew,prayingthatthiswouldn'tbeasawkwardas

shewasverymuchafraidit wouldbe.Chewbacca washardenough forherto

understand, and he'd been living out among humans for decades. A native

Wookiee,speakinganativedialect,waslikelytobetotallyincomprehensible.

The tall Wookiee bowed his head slightly and opened his mouth. Leia braced

herself— [I to you, Leiaorganasolo, bring greetings,] he roared. [I to

Rwookrrorrowelcomeyou.]

Leiafeltherjawdropinastonishment."Ah...thankyou,"shemanaged."I'm—

ah—honoredtobehere."

[Aswebyyourrpresencearrehonored,]hegrowledpolitely.[IamRalrracheen.

YoumayfinditeasierrtocallmeRalrra.]

"I'm honored to meet you," Leia nodded, still feeling a little dazed by it all.

Apart fromtheoddextended growling of his final r sounds, Ralrra'sWookiee

speechwasperfectlyunderstandable.Listeningtohim,infact,itwasasifallthe

staticshe'dalwayshadto plowthroughhadsuddenlycleared away.Shecould

feelherfacewarming,andhopedhersurprisedidn'tshow.

Apparently,itdid.Besideher,Chewbaccawasurf-urf-urfingquietlyagain."Let

me guess," she suggested dryly, looking up at him. "You've had a speech

impedimentalltheseyearsandneverthoughttomentionittome?"

Chewbacca laughed even louder. [Chewbacca speaks most excellently,] Ralrra

toldher.[ItisIwhohasaspeechimpediment.Strangely,itisthekindoftrouble

thathumansfindeasierrtounderstand.]

"Isee,"Leiasaid,thoughshedidn'tentirely."Wereyouanambassador,then?"

Abruptly, the air around her seemed to grow chilly. [I was a slave to the

Empirre,]Ralrragrowledsoftly.

[As was Chewbacca also, beforre Hansolo freed him. My captorrs found me

useful,tospeakwiththeotherrWookieeslaves.]

Leiashivered."I'msorry,"wasallshecouldthinkoftosay.

[Youmust notbe,]he insisted.[My role gaveme muchinformation aboutthe

Empirre'sforces.

InformationthatprovedusefulwhenyourrAlliancefreedus.]

Abruptly,LeiarealizedthatChewbaccawasnolongerstandingatherside.To

hershock,shesawthathewaslockedinadeathgripwiththeotherWookiee,his

bowcaster trapped uselessly against his shoulder by the other's massive arm.

"Chewie!"shesnapped,handdroppingtotheblasterbeltedatherside.

She'dbarelygottenholdofit,though,beforeRalrra'sshaggyhandlandedinan

irongripontopofhers.

[Do not disturb them,] the Wookiee told her firmly. [Chewbacca and Salporin

havebeenfriendssincechildhood,andhavenotseeneachotherrinmanyyearrs.

Theirrgreetingmustnotbeinterrupted.]

"Sorry,"Leiamurmured,droppingherhandtohersideandfeelinglikeanidiot.

[Chewbaccasaidinhismessagethatyourequirresanctuary,]Ralrracontinued,

perhaps recognizing her embarrassment. [Come. I will show you the

preparationswehavemade.]

Leia's eyes flicked to Chewbacca and Salporin, still clinging to each other.

"Perhapsweshouldwaitfortheothers,"shesuggested,alittleuncertainly.

[Therre will be no dangerr.] Ralrra drew himself up to his full height.

[Leiaorganasolo,you mustunderstand. Withoutyouandyourrpeoplemanyof

uswouldstillbeslavestotheEmpirre.Slaves,orrdeadattheirrhand.Toyou

andyourrRepublicweowealifedebt.]

"Thank you," Leia said, feeling the last bit of residual tension draining away.

There was a great deal about Wookiee culture and psychology that was still

opaque to her; but the life debt, at least, she understood very well. Ralrra had

formallycommitted himself toher safety now,thatcommitment backedupby

Wookieehonor,tenacity,andrawstrength.

[Come,]Ralrragrowled,gesturingtowardwhatlookedlikeanopen-cageliftcar

attheedgeoftheplatform.[Wewillgotothevillage.]

"Certainly,"Leiasaid."Thatremindsme—Iwasgoingtoaskhowyoukeepthe

villageinplace.Doyouuserepulsorlifts?"

[Come,]Ralrrasaid.[Iwillshowyou.]



The village was not, in fact, being held up by repulsorlifts.Nor withunipods,

tractor anchorlines, or any other clever scheme of modern technology. Which

madeitallthemoresoberingforLeiatorealizethattheWookiees'methodwas,

initsownway,moresophisticatedthananyofthem.

Thevillagewasheldupbybranches.

[It was a great task, a village of this size to build,] Ralrra told her, waving a

massivehand upwardatthelatticeworkabove them.[Many ofthebranchesat

theleveldesiredwerreremoved.Thosewhichremainedthengrewstrongerrand

fasterr.]

"It looks almost like a giant spiderweb," Leia commented, peering from the

liftcarattheundersideofthevillageandtryingnottothinkaboutthekilometers

of empty space directly beneath them. "How did you mesh them together like

that?"

[Wedidnot.Throughtheirrowngrowththeyarreaunity.]

Leiablinked."Excuseme?"

[They have grown togetherr,] Ralrra explained. [When two wroshyr branches

meet,theygrowintoone.

Togetherrthentheysproutnewbranchesinalldirections.]

Hegrowledsomethingunderhisbreath,awordorphraseforwhichLeiahadno

translation. [It is a living reminderr of the unity and strength of the Wookiee

people,]headded,almosttohimself.

Leia nodded silently. It was also, she realized, a strong indication that all the

wroshyrtreesinthisbunchwereasinglegiantplant,withaunifiedoratleastan

intermixed root system. Did the Wookiees realize that? Or had their obvious

reverenceforthetreesforbiddensuchthinkingandresearch?

Notthatcuriositywouldhelpthemallthatmuchinthiscase.Droppinghergaze,

she peered down into the hazy dimness beneath the liftcar. Somewhere down

thereweretheshorterwroshyrsandhundredsofothertypesoftreesthatmade

up the vast jungles of Kashyyyk. Several different arboreal ecosystems were

reputedtoexistinthejungle,arrangedinroughlyhorizontallayersdescending

towardtheground,eachlayermoredeadlythantheoneabove.Shedidn'tknow

whethertheWookieeshadeverevenmadeitallthewaydowntothesurface;it

was for sure that no one who had would have taken the time for leisurely

botanicalstudies.

[Theyarrecalledkroyies,]Ralrrasaid.

Leiablinkedattheoddnonsequitur.Butevenassheopenedhermouthtoask

whathewastalkingabout,shespottedthedoublewedgeofbirdsflyingswiftly

throughtheskybeneaththem."Thosebirds?"

sheasked.

[Yes.OncetheywerreaprizefoodtotheWookieepeople.Noweventhepoorr

may eat them.] He pointed toward the edge of the village above them, to the

haze of light coming from the searchlights she'd seen during their approach. [

Kroyieswillcometothoselights,]heexplained.[Hunterrstherreawaitthem.]

Leia nodded understanding; she'd seen visual lures of varying degrees of

sophistication used to attract food animals on other worlds. "Don't all those

cloudsinterferewiththeireffectiveness,though?"

[Throughthecloudstheyworkbest,]Ralrrasaid.[Thecloudsspreadthelight.A

kroyiewillseeitfromgreatdistancesandcome.]

As he spoke, the double wedge of birds banked sharply, climbing toward the

cloudsoverheadandthelightsplayingagainstthem.[Evenso,yousee.Tonight

weshallperhapsdineononeofthem.]

"I'd like that," she said. "I remember Chewie saying once that they were

delicious."

[Thenwemustreturnto thevillage,]Ralrrasaid,touchingthe liftcar'scontrol.

Witha creakof thecable, itstartedupward.[Wehadhopedtoshelterryouin

oneofthemorreluxurioushomes,]hecommentedastheystartedupward.[But

Chewbaccawouldnotallowit.]

Hegestured,andforthefirsttimeLeianoticedthehomesbuiltdirectlyintothe

tree beside them. Some of them were multistoried and quite elaborate; all of

themseemedtoopenupdirectlyontoemptyspace.

"Chewbaccaunderstandsmypreferences,"shetoldRalrra,suppressingashiver.

"Iwaswonderingwhytheliftcarwentthisfardownpastthevillageproper."

[The liftcarr is used mainly forr cargo transportation orr the ill,] Ralrra said.

[MostWookieespreferrtoclimbthetreesnaturally.]

Heheldoutahandtoher,palmup;andasthemusclesundertheskinandfur

flexed, a set of wickedly curved claws slid into sight from hidden fingertip

sheaths.

Leiaswallowedhard."Ididn'trealizeWookieeshadclawslikethose,"shesaid.

"ThoughIsupposeIshouldhave.Youarearboreal,afterall."

[To live among trees without them would be impossible,] Ralrra agreed. The

claws retracted again, and the Wookiee waved the hand upward. [Even vine

travelwouldbedifficultwithoutthem.]

"Vines?" Leia echoed, frowning up through the liftcar's transparent roof. She

hadn'tnoticedanyvinesonthetreesearlier,anddidn'treallyseeanynow.Her

eyes fellon the cable running from theliftcarup into the leavesandbranches

above...

Thedarkgreencable.

"Thatcable?"sheaskedcarefully,noddingtowardit."That'savine?"

[It a kshyy vine is,] he assured her. [Do not worry about its strength. It is

strongerr than composite cable material, and cannot even by blasterrs be cut.

Too,itisself-repairing.]

"Isee,"Leiasaid,staringatthevineandfightinghardagainstthesuddensense

of panic. She'd flown all around the galaxy in hundreds of different types of

airspeeders and spaceships without the slightest twinge of acrophobia, but this

hangingoutontheedgeofnowherewithoutasolidpoweredcockpitaroundher

was something else entirely. The warm sense of security she'd been feeling at

beingonKashyyykwasstartingtoevaporate."Havethevineseverbroken?"she

asked,tryingtosoundcasual.

[Inthepast,itsometimeshappened,]Ralrrasaid.[Variousparasitesandfungi,if

unchecked,canerodethem.Now,weemploysafeguardswhichourrancestorrs

didnothave.Liftcarrssuchasthisonecontainemergencyrepulsorliftsystems.]

"Ah," Leia said, the momentary discomfort easing as she once again found

herselffeelinglikearawandnotverybrightdiplomaticbeginner.Itwaseasyto

forget that, despite their somewhat quaint-looking arboreal villages and their

ownanimalisticappearance,Wookieesgenerallywerequiteat homewithhigh

technology.

The liftcar rose above the level of the village floor. Chewbacca and Salporin

were standing there waiting for them, the former fingering his bowcaster and

giving the little twitches that Leia had learned to associate with impatience.

Ralrrabroughtthemtoastopatthelevelofthewideexitrampandopenedthe

door,SalporinsteppingforwardashedidsotoofferLeiahishandinassistance.

[We have made arrangements forr you and Chewbacca to stay at Salporin's

home,]Ralrrasaidastheysteppedoutontorelativelysolidgroundagain.[Itis

notfarr.Therrearretransportsavailable,ifyouwish.]

Leialookedoutacrossthenearestpartsofthevillage.Shewantedverymuchto

walk,togetoutamongthepeopleandstartgettingthefeeloftheplace.Butafter

all the effort they'd put into sneaking her onto Kashyyyk in the first place,

parading herself in front of the whole population would probably not be the

smartestthingtodo."Atransportwouldprobablybebest,"shetoldRalrra.

Chewbaccagrowledsomethingastheycameuptohim.[Shewishedtoseethe

village'sstructurre,]

Ralrratoldhim.[Wearrenowreadytogo.]

Chewbaccagaveanothergrowlofdispleasure,butreturnedhisbowcastertohis

shoulderandstrodeoffwithoutfurthercommenttowardarepulsorsledparked

attheside of the roadperhapstwenty meters away.Ralrraand Leia followed,

withSalporinbringinguptherear.Thehousesandotherbuildingsbeganrightat

theedgeofthemattedbranches,Leiahadalreadynoted,withoutanythingmore

substantialthanafewtwistedkshyyvinesbetweenthemandemptyspace.Ralrra

had implied that the homes clinging to the trees themselves were the more

prestigiousones;perhapsthosehereattheedgebelongedtotheupper

middleclass.Idly,shelookedatthenearestofthem,glancingintothewindows

as they passed. A face moved into view in the shadows behind one of them,

catching her eye— "Chewie!" she gasped. Even as her hand darted for her

blaster the face vanished. But there was no mistaking those bulging eyes and

protrudingjawandsteel-grayskin.

Chewbacca was at her side in an instant, bowcaster in hand. "One of those

creatureswhoattackedusonBimmisaariisinthere,"shetoldhim,reachingout

withalltheJedisenseshecouldmuster.Nothing.

"Atthatwindow,"sheadded,pointingwithherblaster."Hewasrightthere."

Chewbacca barked an order, sliding his massive bulk between Leia and the

houseandeasingherslowlybackwards,hisbowcasterweavingbackandforth

acrossthestructureinacoveringpattern.RalrraandSalporinwerealreadyatthe

house, each carrying a pair of wicked-looking knives they'd pulled from

somewhere. They tookupflankingpositionsbeside the front door; and with a

brilliantflashfromhisbowcaster,Chewbaccashotthedoorin.

From somewhere in toward the center of the village someone roared—a long,

ululating Wookiee howl of anger or alarm that seemed to echo from the

buildings and massive trees. Even before Ralrra and Salporin had disappeared

intothehousethehowlwasbeingtakenupbyothervoices,risinginnumberand

volume until it seemed as if half the village had joined in. Leia found herself

pressing against Chewbacca's hairy back, wincing at the sheer ferocity in that

call and flashing back to the Bimmisaari marketplace reacting to her jewelry

theft.

Except that these weren't funny little yellow-clad Bimms. They were giant,

violentlystrongWookiees.

AlargecrowdhadbeguntoformbythetimeRalrraandSalporinemergedfrom

thehouse—acrowdthatChewbaccapaidnomoreattentiontothanhehadthe

howlingashekepthiseyesandbowcastertrainedonthehouse.Theothertwo

Wookiees also ignored the crowd, disappearing around opposite sides of the

house.Theyreappearedsecondslater,theirmannerthatofhunterswho'dcome

updry.

"He was there," Leia insisted as they returned to where she and Chewbacca

stood."Isawhim."

[That may be true,] Ralrra said, slipping his knives back into hidden sheaths

behindhisbaldric.Salporin,hisattentionstillbackonthehouse,kepthisown

knivesready.[Butwefoundnotraceofanyone.]

Leiabitatherlip,eyesflickingacrossthearea.Therewerenootherhousesnear

enoughforthealientohavecrossedtowithoutherandChewbaccaseeinghim.

Nocoverofanysort,forthatmatter,onthissideofthehouse.Ontheotherside,

therewasnothingbuttheedgeofthevillage.

"Hewentovertheedge,"sherealizedsuddenly."Hemusthave.Eitherworked

hiswayunderthevillagewithclimbinggearorelsemetacrafthoveringdown

below."

[Thatisunlikely,]Ralrrasaid,startingpasther.[Butpossible.Iwillgodownthe

liftcarr,totryanddiscoverrhim.]

Chewbacca reached a hand out to stop him, growling a negative. [You arre

right,] Ralrra conceded, though clearly reluctantly. [Yourr safety,

Leiaorganasolo, is the most important thing at this point. We will take you to

safetyfirst,andthenmakeinquiriesaboutthisalien.]

Tosafety.Leiagazedatthehouse,ashiverrunningupherback.Andwondered

iftherewouldeveragainbesuchathingforherassafety.

Chapter18

Thetrillingcode,comingfromsomewherefarbehindhim,startledLukeupout

ofhisdreamlesssleep.

"Okay,Artoo,I'mawake,"hesaidgroggily,reachinguptorubathiseyes.His

knucklesbumpedintothevisorofhisflighthelmet,andtheimpactdidabitto

dissipatethefogstillswirlingthroughhismind.Hecouldn'trememberexactly

thecircumstancesunderwhichhe'dgoneintohibernation,buthehadthedistinct

feelingthatArtoohadbroughthimouttoosoon."Isanythingwrong?"heasked,

tryingtotrackdownexactlywhatitwasthedroidwassupposedtobedoing.

Thetrillingchangedtoananxious-soundingwarble.Stillfightingtogethiseyes

properlyfocused,Lukesearchedoutthecomputerscopeforthetranslation.To

hismildsurprise,itwasdark.Aswerealltherestofhisinstruments;andthenit

camebacktohim.Hewastrappedindeepspace,withalltheX-wing'ssystems

shutdownexceptpowerforArtooandminimallifesupportforhimself.

AndArtoowassupposedtobewindinganewsubspaceradioantenna.Twisting

a slightly stiff neck, he turned halfway around to look back at the droid,

wondering whattheproblem was— And felt his muscles twitchwithsurprise.

There,bearingrapidlydownonthem,wasanothership.

He spun back around, fully awake now, hands jabbing for the bank of power

switchesandslappingthemallon.Butitwassomuchuselessreflex.Evenwith

shortcuts,itwouldstilltakenearlyfifteenminutestobringtheX-wing'sengines

from a cold start to any serious possibility of flight, let alone combat. If the

intruderwasunfriendly...

Usingtheemergencymaneuveringjets,hegottheX-wingturningslowlyaround

tofacetheapproachingship.Thescopesandsensorswerestartingtocomeback

onlineagain,confirmingwhathiseyeshadalreadytoldhim:hisvisitorwasa

midsized, slightly dilapidated-looking Corellian bulk freighter. Not the sort of

shiptheImperialsusually used,andtherewerecertainlyno Imperialmarkings

onitshull.

But under the circumstances, it was just as unlikely that it was an innocent

freight handler, either. A pirate, perhaps? Luke reached out with the Force,

tryingtogetasenseofthecrew...

Artoowarbled,andLukeglanceddownatthecomputerscope."Yes,Inoticed

that,too,"Luketoldhim."Butanormalbulkfreightermightbeabletopullthat

kindofdecelerationifitwasempty.Whydon'tyoudoaquickanalysisofthe

sensorreadings,seeifyoucanspotanyweaponsemplacements."

The droid beeped an acknowledgment, and Luke gave the other instruments a

quickscan.Theprimarylasercannoncapacitorswereathalfchargenow,with

themainsublightdriveabouthalfwaythroughitspreflightsequence.

Andtheflashingradiosignalindicatedthathewasbeinghailed.

Bracing himself, Luke flipped on the receiver. "—need assistance?" a cool

femalevoicesaid."Repeating:unidentifiedstarfighter,thisisthefreighterWild

Karrde.Doyouneedassistance?"

"WildKarrde,thisisNewRepublicX-wingAA-589,"Lukeidentifiedhimself.

"Asamatteroffact,yes,Icouldusesomehelp."

"Acknowledged,X-wing,"theothersaid."Whatseemstobetheproblem?"

"Hyperdrive," Luke told her, watching the ship closely as it continued its

approach.Aminuteearlierhe'drotatedtofacethefreighter'sapproach;theother

pilothadrespondedwithaslightsidlingdriftofherown,withtheresultthatthe

WildKarrdewasnolongerinlinewiththeX-wing'slasers.Probablyjustbeing

cautious... but there were other possibilities. "I've lost both motivators," he

continued. "Cracked shield cases, probably some other problems, too. I don't

supposeyou'dbecarryinganyspares?"

"Notforashipthatsize."Therewasashortpause."I'minstructedtotellyouthat

if you'd care to come aboard, we can offer you passage to our destination

system."

LukereachedoutwiththeForce,tryingtomeasurethesensebehindthewords.

Butiftherewasdeceitthere,hecouldn'tdetectit.Andeveniftherewas,hehad

preciouslittlechoice."Soundsgood,"hesaid.

"Anychanceyoucouldtakemyship,too?"

"I doubt you could afford our shipping rates," the other told him dryly. "I'll

checkwiththecaptain,butdon'tgetyourhopesup.We'dhavetotakeitintow,

anyway—ourholdsareprettyfullatthemoment."

Luke felt his lip twitch. A fully loaded bulk freighter couldn't possibly have

managedthedecelerationprofileArtoohadnotedearlier.Eithertheywerelying

aboutthat,orelsethatnormal-lookingdrivesystemhadundergoneacomplete

andmassiveupgrading.

WhichmadetheWildKarrdeeitherasmuggler,apirate,oradisguisedwarship.

AndtheNewRepublichadnodisguisedwarships.

Theotherpilotwastalkingagain."Ifyou'llholdyourpresentposition,X-wing,

we'll move up close enough to throw a force cylinder out to you," she said.

"Unlessyou'drathersuitupandspacewalkacross."

"Thecylindersoundsfastest,"Lukesaid,decidingtotryalightverbalprobe."I

don'tsupposeeitherofushasanyreasontohangaroundthisplace.Howdidyou

happentowindupouthere,anyway?"

"Wecanhandlealimitedamountofbaggage,"theotherwenton,ignoringthe

question."Iimagineyou'llwanttobringyourastromechdroidalong,too."

Somuchforthelightverbalprobe."Yes,Iwill,"hetoldher.

"Allright,then,standby.Incidentally,thecaptainsaysthetransportfeewillbe

fivethousand."

"Understood,"Luke said, unstrappinghis restraints.Openingthe sidepouches,

he pulled out his gloves and helmet seal and folded them into his flight suit's

chestpocketswherehe'dhavequickaccesstothem.

A force cylinder was relatively foolproof, but accidents could always happen.

Besideswhich,iftheWildKarrde'screwwashopingtopickthemselvesupa

freeX-wing,shuttingthecylinderdownhalfwaythroughtheoperationwouldbe

thesimplestandleastmessywaytodisposeofhim.

The crew. Luke paused, straining his senses toward the ship moving steadily

toward him. There was something wrong there; something he could feel but

couldn'tquitetrackdown.

Artoo warbled anxiously. "No, she didn't answer the question," Luke agreed.

"ButIcan'tthinkofanylegitimatereasonforthemtobeoutthisfar.Canyou?"

Thedroid gaveasoft, electronicmoan. "Agreed,"Lukenodded. "Butrefusing

theofferdoesn'tbuyusanythingatall.We'lljusthavetostayalert."

Reachingintotheothersidepouch,hepulledouthisblaster,checkeditspower

level, and slid it into the holster pocket built into his flight suit. His comlink

wentintoanotherpocket,thoughwhatuseitwouldbeaboardtheWildKarrde

he couldn't imagine. The emergency survival pack went around his waist,

awkwardtofasteninthecrampedquarters.Andlast,hepulledouthislightsaber

andfastenedittohisbelt.

"Okay,X-wing,we'vegotthecylinderestablished,"thevoicecame."Whenever

you'reready."

The Wild Karrde 's small docking bay was directly above him, its outer door

gapinginvitingly.Lukecheckedhisinstruments,confirmedtherewasindeeda

corridor of air between the two ships, and took a deep breath. "Here we go,

Artoo,"hesaid,andpoppedthecanopy.

Apuffofbreezebrushedacrosshisfaceastheairpressuresequalized.Giving

himselfacarefulpush,heeasedupandout,grippingtheedgeofthecanopyto

turnhimselfaround.Artoo,hesaw,hadejectedfromhissocketandwasdrifting

freely just above the X-wing, making distinctly unhappy noises about his

situation. "I've got you, Artoo," Luke soothed, reaching out with the Force to

pullthedroidtowardhim.

Gettinghisbearingsonelasttime,hebenthiskneesandpushedoff.

He reached the airlock at the back of the bay a half second ahead of Artoo,

grabbedholdofthestrapsfastenedtothewalls,andbroughtbothofthemtoa

smoothhalt.Someonewasobviouslywatching;theywerestillmovingwhenthe

outerlockdoorslidshut.Gravitycameback,slowlyenoughforhimtoadjusthis

stancetoit,andamomentlatertheinnerdoorslidopen.

There was a young man waiting for them, wearing a casual coverall of an

unfamiliarcut. "WelcomeaboardtheWildKarrde,"he said,nodding gravely.

"Ifyou'llfollowme,thecaptainwouldliketoseeyou."

Without waiting for a reply, he turned and headed down the curving corridor.

"Comeon,Artoo,"Lukemurmured,startingafterhimandreachingoutwiththe

Forceforaquicksurveyoftheship.Asidefromtheirguide,hecouldsenseonly

four others aboard, all of them in the forward sections. Behind him, in the aft

sections...

Heshook hishead,trying toclearit.Itdidn't help:theaft sectionsoftheship

still remained oddly dark to him. An aftereffect of the long hibernation,

probably.Itwasforcertain,though,thattherewerenocrewmembersordroids

backthere,andthatwasallheneededtoknowforthemoment.

The guide led them to a door, which slid open as he stepped to one side.

"CaptainKarrdewillseeyounow,"hesaid,wavingtowardtheopendoor.

"Thank you," Luke nodded to him. With Artoo bumping against his heels, he

steppedintotheroom.

Itwasanofficeofsorts;small,withmuchofitswallspacetakenupwithwhat

lookedlikehighlysophisticatedcommunicationsandencryptequipment.Inthe

centerwasa large desk/ consolecombination...and seated behind it,watching

Luke's approach, was a slender man, thin-faced, with short dark hair and pale

blueeyes.

"Good evening," he said in a cool, carefully modulated voice. "I'm Talon

Karrde."HiseyesflickedupanddownLuke,asifmeasuringhim."Andyou,I

presume,areCommanderLukeSkywalker."

Lukestaredathim.Howintheworlds...?"PrivatecitizenSkywalker,"hesaid,

strivingtokeephisownvoicecalm."IresignedmyAlliancecommissionnearly

fouryearsago."

An almost-smile twitched the corners of Karrde's mouth. "I stand corrected. I

mustsay,you'vecertainlyfoundagoodplacetogetawayfromitall."

The question was unstated, but no less obvious for that. "I had some help

choosing it," Luke told him. "A small run-in with an Imperial Star Destroyer

abouthalfalight-yearaway."

"Ah,"Karrdesaid,withoutanysurprisethatLukecouldseeorsense."Yes,the

Empire is still quite active in this part of the galaxy. Growing more so, too,

particularly of late." He cocked his head slightly to the side, his eyes never

leavingLuke'sface."ThoughIpresumeyou'vealreadynoticedthat.Incidentally,

itlookslikewe'llbeabletotakeyourshipintow,afterall.I'mhavingthecables

riggednow."

"Thankyou,"Lukesaid,feelingtheskinonthebackofhisneckstarttotingle.

Whether a pirate or a smuggler, Karrde should certainly have reacted more

strongly to the news that there was a Star Destroyer in the area. Unless, of

course,healreadyhadanunderstandingwiththeImperials..."Allowmetothank

youfortherescue,aswell,"hecontinued."ArtooandIareluckyyouhappened

along."

"AndArtoois—?Oh,ofcourse—yourastromechdroid."Theblueeyesflicked

downbriefly."Youmustbeaformidablewarriorindeed,Skywalker—escaping

fromanImperialStarDestroyerisnomeantrick.ThoughIimagineamanlike

yourselfisaccustomedtogivingtheImperialstrouble."

"Idon'tseemuchfront-lineactionanymore,"Luketoldhim."Youhaven'ttold

mehowyou came tobeout here, Captain.Or,for that matter,how you knew

whoIwas."

Anotheralmost-smile."Withalightsaberattachedtoyourbelt?"heaskedwryly.

"Comenow.YouwereeitherLukeSkywalker,Jedi,orelsesomeonewithataste

forantiquesandaninsufferablyhighopinionofhisswordsmanship."Again,the

blue eyes flicked up and down Luke. "You're not really what I expected,

somehow.ThoughI supposethat'snotall thatsurprising—thevastmajorityof

Jedilorehasbeensotwistedbymythandignorancethattogetaclearpictureis

almostimpossible."

ThewarningbellinthebackofLuke'smindbegantoringlouder."Youalmost

soundasifyouwereexpectingtofindmehere,"hesaid,easinghisbodyintoa

combatstanceandlettinghissensesreachout.

Allfiveofthecrewerswerestillmoreorlesswherethey'dbeenafewminutes

earlier, farther up toward the forward part of the ship. None except Karrde

himselfwascloseenoughtoposeanykindofimmediatethreat.

"Asamatteroffact,wewere,"Karrdeagreedcalmly."ThoughIcan'tactually

takeanyofthecreditforthat.Itwasoneofmyassociates,MaraJade,wholed

ushere."Hisheadinclinedslightlytohisright.

"She'sonthebridgeatthemoment."

Hepaused,obviouslywaiting.Itcouldbeasetup,Lukeknew;butthesuggestion

that someone might actually have been able to sense his presence from light-

yearsawaywastoointriguingtopassup.

Keepinghisoverallawarenessclear,Lukenarrowedaportionofhismindtothe

WildKarrde'sbridge.

At the helm was the young woman he'd spoken to earlier from the X-wing.

Beside her, an older man was busy running a calculation through the nav

computer.Andsittingbehindthem—Thejoltofthatmindshotthroughhimlike

anelectriccurrent."Yes,that'sher,"Karrdeconfirmed,almostoffhandedly."She

hides it quite well, actually—though not, I suppose, from a Jedi. It took me

several months of careful observation to establish that it was you, and you

personally,forwhomshehadthesefeelings."

IttookLukeanothersecondtofindhisvoice.Neverbefore,notevenfromthe

Emperor, had he ever felt such a black and bitter hatred. "I've never met her

before,"hemanaged.

"No?" Karrde shrugged. "A pity. I was rather hoping you'd be able to tell me

whyshefeelsthisway.

Ah,well."Hegottohisfeet."Isuppose,then,there'snothingmoreforustotalk

aboutforthemoment...

andletmesayinadvancethatI'mverysorryithastobethisway."

Reflexively, Luke's hand darted for his lightsaber. He'd barely begun the

movementwhentheshockofastunweaponcoursedthroughhimfrombehind.

TherewereJedimethodsforfightingoffunconsciousness.Buttheyalltookat

leastasplitsecondofpreparation—asplitsecondthatLukedidnothave.Dimly,

he felt himself falling; heard Artoo's frantic trilling in the distance; and

wondered with his last conscious thought how in the worlds Karrde had done

thistohim.

Chapter19

Heawokeslowly,instages,awareofnothingbutthetwinfactsthat,one,hewas

lyingflatonhisbackand,two,hefeltterrible.

Slowly, gradually, the haze began to coalesce into more localized sensations.

The air around him was warm but damp, a light and shifting breeze carrying

severalunfamiliarodorsalongwithit.Thesurfacebeneathhimhadthesoft/firm

feelofabed;thegeneralsenseofhisskinandmouthimpliedhe'dbeenasleep

forprobablyseveraldays.

It took another minute for the implications of that to percolate through the

mentalfogfillinghisbrain.

More than an hour or two was well beyond the safe capabilities of any stun

weaponhe'deverheardof.

Clearly,afterbeingshot,he'dbeendrugged.

Inwardly,hesmiled.Karrdewasprobablyexpectinghimtobeincapacitatedfor

awhilelonger;andKarrdewasinforasurprise.Forcinghismindintofocus,he

ranthroughthe Jeditechniquefor detoxifyingpoisonsand thenwaitedfor the

hazetoclear.

Ittookhimsometimetorealizethatnothingwas,infact,happening.

Somewhereintherehefellasleepagain;andwhenhenextawoke,hismindhad

clearedcompletely.

Blinkingagainstthesunlightstreamingacrosshisface,heopenedhiseyesand

liftedhishead.

He was lying on a bed, still in his flight suit, in a small but comfortably

furnishedroom.Directlyacrossfromhimwasanopenwindow,thesourceofthe

aroma-ladenbreezeshe'dalreadynoted.Throughthewindow,too,hecouldsee

theedgeofaforestfiftymetersorsoaway,abovewhichayellowish-orangesun

hovered—risingor setting,he didn'tknow which.Thefurnishingsofthe room

itselfdidn'tlookmuchlikethoseofaprisoncell—"Finallyawake,areyou?"a

woman'svoicesaidfromtheside.

Startled,Luketwistedhisheadtowardthevoice.Hisfirst,instantaneousthought

wasthathehadsomehowmissedsensingwhoeverwasoverthere;hissecond,

followingontheheelsofthefirst,wasthatthatwasclearlyridiculousandthat

thevoicemustbecominginsteadfromanintercomorcomlink.

Hefinishedhisturn,todiscoverthatthefirstthoughthadindeedbeencorrect.

Shewassittinginahigh-backedchair,herarmsdrapedlooselyoverthearmsin

aposturethatseemedstrangelyfamiliar:aslenderwomanaboutLuke'sownage,

with brilliant red-gold hair and equally brilliant green eyes. Her legs were

casuallycrossed;acompactbutwicked-lookingblasterlayonherlap.

Agenuine,livinghumanbeing...andyet,impossibly,hecouldn'tsenseher.

The confusion must have shown in his face. "That's right," she said, favoring

himwithasmile.Notafriendlyorevenapolitesmile,butonethatseemedtobe

madeupofequalpartsbitternessandmaliciousamusement."Welcomebackto

theworldofmeremortals."

—andwithasurgeofadrenaline,Lukerealizedthatthestrangementalveiling

wasn'tlimitedtojusther.

Hecouldn'tsenseanything.Notpeople,notdroids,noteventheforestbeyond

hiswindow.

Itwaslikesuddenlygoingblind.

"Don't like it, do you?" the woman mocked. "It's not easy to suddenly lose

everythingthatoncemadeyouspecial,isit?"

Slowly,carefully,Lukeeasedhislegsoverthesideofthebedandsatup,giving

hisbodyplentyoftimetogetusedtomovingagain.Thewomanwatchedhim,

herrighthanddroppingtoherlaptorestontopoftheblaster."Ifthepurposeof

allthisactivityistoimpressmewithyourremarkablepowersofrecuperation,"

sheoffered,"youdon'tneedtobother."

"Nothing so devious," Luke advised, breathing hard and trying not to wheeze.

"Thepurpose ofall thisactivity isto getmebackonmyfeet."He lookedher

hardin theeye, wonderingif shewould flinchaway fromhis gaze.She didn't

eventwitch."Don'ttellme;letmeguess.You'reMaraJade."

"Thatdoesn'timpressme,either,"shesaidcoldly."Karrdealreadytoldmehe'd

mentionedmynametoyou."

Lukenodded. "He alsotold methatyou werethe one whofound myX-wing.

Thankyou."

Hereyes flashed."Saveyour gratitude,"she bitout. "Asfaras I'mconcerned,

theonly questionleftis whetherwe turn youover totheImperials orkill you

ourselves."

Abruptly she stood up, the blaster ready in her hand. "On your feet. Karrde

wantstoseeyou."

Carefully,Lukestoodup,andashedidso,henoticedforthefirsttimethatMara

had attached his lightsaber to her own belt. Was she, then, a Jedi herself?

Powerfulenough,perhaps,tosmotherLuke'sabilities?"Ican'tsaythateitherof

thoseoptionssoundsappealing,"hecommented.

"There'soneotherone."Shetookhalfastepforward,movingcloseenoughthat

he could have reached out and touched her. Lifting the blaster, she pointed it

directlyathisface."Youtrytoescape...andIkillyourighthereandnow."

Foralongmomenttheystoodthere,frozen.Thebitterhatredwasblazingagain

inthoseeyes...butevenasLukegazedbackather,hesawsomethingelsealong

withtheanger.Somethingthatlookedlikeadeepandlingeringpain.

Hestoodquietly,notmoving;andalmostreluctantly,sheloweredtheweapon.

"Move.Karrde'swaiting."



Luke's room was at the end of a long hallway with identical doors spaced at

regularintervalsalongitslength.Abarracksofsorts,hedecided,astheyleftit

andstartedacrossagrassyclearingtowardalarge,high-roofedbuilding.Several

otherstructuresclusteredaroundthelatter,includinganotherbarracksbuilding,

a handful that looked like storehouses, and one that was clearly a servicing

hangar.Groupedaroundthehangaronbothsideswereovera dozenstarships,

including at least two bulk cruisers like the Wild Karrde and several smaller

craft,someofthemhiddenawaysbackintotheforestthatpressedcloselyinon

thecompoundfromallsides.Tuckedawaybehindoneofthebulkcruisers,he

couldjustseethenoseofhisX-wing.ForamomentheconsideredaskingMara

what had happened to Artoo, decided he'd do better to save the question for

Karrde.

TheyreachedthelargecentralbuildingandMarareachedpastLuketoslapthe

sensorplatebesidethedoor."He'sinthegreatroom,"Marasaidasthepanelslid

openinresponse."Straightahead."

Theywalkeddownalonghallway,passingapairofwhatseemedtobemedium-

sizeddiningandrecreationrooms.Ahead,alargedoorattheendofthehallway

slidopenattheirapproach.Marausheredhiminside—Andintoascenestraight

outofancientlegend.

ForamomentLukejuststoodinthedoorway,staring.Theroomwaslargeand

spacious, itshighceiling translucent and crisscrossed by awebworkofcarved

rafters.Thewallswerecomposedofadarkbrownwood,muchofitelaborately

open-meshcarved,withadeepbluelightglowingthroughtheinterstices.

Other luxuries were scattered sparingly about: a small sculpture here, an

unrecognizable alien artifact there. Chairs, couches, and large cushions were

arranged in well-separated conversation circles, giving a distinctly relaxed,

almostinformalairtotheplace.

Butallthatwassecondary,takeninperipherallyoratalatertimeentirely.For

thatfirstastonishingmomentLuke'sfullattentionwasfixedsolidlyonthetree

growingthroughthecenteroftheroom.

Notasmalltree,either,likethedelicatesaplingsthatlinedoneofthehallways

intheImperialPalace.

Thisonewashuge,ameterindiameteratthebase,extendingfromasectionof

plain dirt floor through the translucent ceiling and far beyond. Thick limbs

startingperhapstwometersfromthegroundstretchedtheirwayacrosstheroom,

some of them nearly touching the walls, almost like arms reaching out to

encompasseverythinginsight.

"Ah; Skywalker," a voice called from in front of him. With an effort, Luke

shiftedhisgazedownward,to findKarrdesitting comfortablyina chairatthe

base of the tree. On either side two long-legged quadrupeds crouched, their

vaguely doglike muzzles pointing stiffly in Luke's direction. "Come and join

me."

Swallowing,Lukestartedtowardhim.Therewerestoriesherememberedfrom

hischildhoodaboutfortresseswithtreesgrowingupthroughthem.Frightening

stories,someofthem,fullofdangerandhelplessnessandfear.

Andineveryoneofthosestories,suchfortresseswerethehomeofevil.

"Welcomebacktothelandoftheliving,"KarrdesaidasLukeapproached.He

pickedupasilverypitcherfromthelowtableathisside,pouredareddishliquid

intoa pairofcups. "Imust apologizefor havingkeptyouasleepall thistime.

ButI'msureyouappreciatethespecialproblemsinvolvedinmakingsureaJedi

stayswhereyou'veputhim."

"Ofcourse,"Luke said,hisattentionon thetwoanimalsbesideKarrde'schair.

Theywerestillstaringathimwithanuncomfortableintensity."Thoughifyou'd

just asked nicely," he added, "you might have found me quite willing to

cooperate."

AflickerofasmiletouchedKarrde'slips."Perhaps.Perhapsnot."Hegesturedto

thechairacrossfromhim."Pleasesitdown."

Lukestartedforward;butashedidso,oneoftheanimalsroseupslightlyonhis

haunches, making a strange sort of choked purr. "Easy, Sturm," Karrde

admonished,lookingdownattheanimal."Thismanisourguest."

The creature ignored him, its full attention clearly on Luke. "I don't think it

believes you," Luke suggested carefully.Even as he spoke, the second animal

madethesamesortofsoundasthefirsthad.

"Perhapsnot."Karrdehadalightgriponeachoftheanimals'collarsnowand

wasglancingaroundtheroom."Chin!"hecalledtowardthethreemenlounging

inoneoftheconversationcircles."Comeandtakethemout,willyou?"

"Sure."Amiddle-agedmanwithaFroffli-stylehaircutgotupandtrottedover.

"Come on, fellows," he grunted, taking over Karrde's grip on the collars and

leadingtheanimalsaway."Whathaiwegoforawalk,hee?"

"My apologies, Skywalker," Karrde said, frowning slightly as he watched the

othersgo."They'reusuallybetterbehavedthanthatwithguests.Now;pleasesit

down."

Lukedidso,acceptingthecupKarrdeofferedhim.Marasteppedpasthimand

tookuppositionnexttoherchief.Herblaster,Lukenoted,wasnowinawrist

holster on her left forearm, nearly as accessible as it would have been in her

hand.

"It's just a mild stimulant," Karrde said, nodding to the cup in Luke's hand.

"Somethingtohelpyouwakeup."Hetookadrinkfromhisowncupandsetit

backdownonthelowtable.

Luke took a sip. It tasted all right; and anyway, if Karrde had wanted to drug

him,therewashardlyanyneedtostooptosuchachildishsubterfuge."Would

youmindtellingmewheremydroidis?"

"Oh, he's perfectly all right," Karrde assured him. "I have him in one of my

equipmentshedsforsafekeeping."

"I'dliketoseehim,ifImay."

"I'm sure that can be arranged. But later." Karrde leaned back in his seat, his

foreheadfurrowingslightly.

"Perhapsafterwe'vefiguredoutjustexactlywhatwe'regoingtodowithyou."

LukeglancedupatMara."Yourassociatementionedthepossibilities.I'dhoped

Icouldaddanothertothelist."

"Thatwesendyoubackhome?"Karrdesuggested.

"Withduecompensation,ofcourse,"Lukeassuredhim."Say,doublewhatever

theEmpirewouldoffer?"

"You're very generous with other people's money," Karrde said dryly. "The

problem, unfortunately, doesn't arise from money, but from politics. Our

operations,yousee,extendratherdeeplyintobothImperialandRepublicspace.

IftheEmpirediscoveredwe'dreleasedyoubacktotheRepublic,theywouldbe

highlydispleasedwithus."

"AndviceversaifyouturnedmeovertotheEmpire,"Lukepointedout.

"True,"Karrdesaid."Exceptthatgiventhedamagetoyour X-wing'ssubspace

radio,theRepublicpresumablyhasnoideawhathappenedtoyou.TheEmpire,

unfortunately,does."

"Andit'snotwhattheywouldoffer,"Maraputin."It'swhattheyhaveoffered.

Thirtythousand."

Lukepursedhislips."IhadnoideaIwassovaluable,"hesaid.

"You could be the difference betweensolvency and failure for any number of

marginaloperators,"

Karrde said bluntly. "There are probably dozens of ships out there right now,

ignoringschedulesandpriorcommitmentstohuntforyou."Hesmiledtightly.

"Operators who haven't given even a moment of consideration to how they

would hold onto a Jedi even if they caught one "Your method seems to work

pretty well," Luke told him. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to tell me how

you'vemanagedit."

Karrdesmiledagain."Secretsofthatmagnitudeareworthagreatdealofmoney.

Haveyouanysecretsofequalvaluetotrade?"

"Probablynot,"Lukesaidevenly."But,again,I'msuretheNewRepublicwould

bewillingtopaymarketvalue."

Karrdesippedfromhisdrink,eyeingLukethoughtfullyovertherimofthecup.

"I'll make you a deal," he said, putting the cup back on the table beside him.

"YoutellmewhytheEmpireissuddenlysointerestedinyou,andI'lltellyou

whyyourJedipowersaren'tworking."

"Whydon'tyouasktheImperialsdirectly?"

Karrde smiled. "Thank you, but no. I'd just as soon not have them start

wondering at my sudden interest. Particularly after we pleaded prior

commitmentswhentherequestcameinforustohelphuntyoudown."

Lukefrownedathim."Youweren'thuntingforme?"

"No,weweren't."Karrde'sliptwisted."Oneofthoselittleironiesthatmakelife

so interesting. We were simply returning from a cargo pickup when Mara

droppedusoutofhyperspaceonthespurofthemomenttodoanavreading."

LukestudiedMara'sstonyexpression."Howfortunateforyou,"hesaid.

"Perhaps,"Karrdesaid."Thenetresult,though,wastoputusinthemiddleof

theexactsituationthatI'dhopedtoavoid."

Luke held hishandsout,palms upward. "Then let me go and pretend none of

thishappened.IgiveyoumywordI'llkeepyourpartinitquiet."

"The Empire would find out anyway," Karrde shook his head. "Their new

commanderisextremelygoodatpiecingbitsofinformationtogether.No,Ithink

yourbesthoperightnowisforustofindacompromise.Somewaywecanlet

you go while still giving the Imperials what they want." He cocked his head

slightly."Whichleadsusbacktomyoriginalquestion."

"Andfromthere back to myoriginalanswer," Luke said."Ireally don't know

whattheEmpirewantswithme."Hehesitated,butLeiashouldbewellbeyond

Imperialreachbynow."Icantellyou,though,thatit'snotjustme.Therehave

beentwoattemptsonmysisterLeia,too."

"Killingattempts?"

Lukethoughtaboutit."Idon'tthinkso.TheoneIwaspresentforfeltmorelike

akidnapping."

"Interesting," Karrde murmured, his eyes defocusing slightly. "Leia Organa

Solo.WhoisintrainingtobeaJedilikeherbrother.Thatcouldexplain...certain

recentImperialactions."

Luke waited, but after a moment it became clear that Karrde wasn't going to

elaborate."Youspokeofacompromise,"heremindedtheother.

Karrdeseemedtopullhisthoughtsbacktotheroom."Yes,Idid,"hesaid."It's

occurredtomethatyourprivilegedpositionintheNewRepublicmightbewhat

the Empire was interested in—that they wanted information on the inner

workingsoftheProvisionalCouncil.Insuchacase,wemighthavebeenableto

work out a deal whereby you went free while your R2 droid went to the

Imperialsfordebriefing."

Luke felt his stomach tighten. "It wouldn't do them any good," he said as

casuallyashecouldmanage.

ThethoughtofArtoobeingsoldintoImperialslavery..."Artoohasneverbeento

anyoftheCouncilmeetings."

"Buthedoeshaveagreatdealofknowledgeofyoupersonally,"Karrdepointed

out. "As well as of your sister, her husband, and various other highly placed

members of the New Republic." He shrugged. "It's a moot question now, of

course. The fact that the focus is exclusively on the New Republic's Jedi and

potentialJedimeansthey'renotsimplyafter information.Wheredidthese two

attackstakeplace?"

"ThefirstwasonBimmisaari,thesecondonBpfassh."

Karrdenodded."We'vegotacontactonBpfassh;perhapswecangethimtodo

somebacktrackingontheImperials.Untilthen,I'mafraidyou'llhavetoremain

hereasourguest."

Itsoundedlikeadismissal."LetmejustpointoutoneotherthingbeforeIgo,"

Lukesaid. "Nomatterwhathappensto me—orwhat happensto Leia,for that

matter—theEmpireisstilldoomed.TherearemoreplanetsintheNewRepublic

nowthanthere areunderImperial rule,and that numberincreases daily. We'll

wineventually,ifonlybysheerweightofnumbers."

"I understand that was the Emperor's own argument when discussing your

Rebellion,"Karrdecountereddryly."Still,thatisthecruxofthedilemma,isn't

it?WhiletheEmpirewillwreakswiftretributiononmeifIdon'tgiveyouover

tothem,theNewRepubliclooksmorelikelytowinoutinthelongrun."

"Onlyifhe andhissister arethereto holdMonMothma's hand," Maraput in

contemptuously. "If they aren't— "If they aren't, the final time frame is

somewhat less clear," Karrde agreed. "At any rate, I thank you for your time,

Skywalker.Ihopewecancometoadecisionwithouttoomuchofadelay."

"Don't hurry on my account," Luke told him. "This seems a pleasant enough

worldtospendafewdayson."

"Don'tbelieve itfor amoment,"Karrde warned."My twopet vornskrshavea

largenumberofrelativesoutintheforest.Relativeswhohaven'thadthebenefits

ofmoderndomestication."

"I understand," Luke said. On the other hand, if he could get out of Karrde's

encampmentandclearofwhateverthisstrangeinterferencewastheywereusing

onhim...

"Anddon'tcountonyourJediskillstoprotectyou,either,"Karrdeadded,almost

lazily."You'llbejustashelplessintheforest.Probablymoreso."Helookedup

atthetreetoweringabovehim."Thereare,afterall,considerablymoreysalamiri

outtherethantherearehere."

"Ysalamiri?" Luke followed his gesture... and for the first time noticed the

slender, gray-brown creature hanging onto the tree limb directly over Karrde's

head."Whatisit?"

"Thereasonyou'restayingwhereweputyou,"Karrdesaid."Theyseemtohave

theunusualabilitytopushbacktheForce—tocreatebubbles,sotospeak,where

theForcesimplydoesn'texist."

"I'veneverheardofthem,"Lukesaid,wonderingiftherewasanytruthatallto

thestory.CertainlyneitherYodanorBenhadevermentionedthepossibilityof

suchathing.

"Notverymanyhave,"Karrdeagreed."Andinthepast,mostofthosewhodid

had a vested interest in keeping it that way. The Jedi of the Old Republic

avoided the planet, for obvious reasons, which was why a fair number of

smugglinggroupsbackthenhadtheirbaseshere.AftertheEmperordestroyed

theJedi,mostofthegroupspulleduprootsandleft,preferringtobecloserto

theirpotentialmarkets.NowthattheJediarerisingagain—"henoddedgravely

to Luke "—perhaps some of them will return. Though I dare say the general

populacewouldprobablynotappreciatethat."

Lukeglancedaroundthetree.Nowthatheknewwhattolookfor,hecouldsee

several other ysalamiri wrapped around and across various of the limbs and

branches."Whatmakesyouthinkit'stheysalamiriandnotsomethingelsethat's

responsibleforthisbubblingintheForce?"

"Partly local legend," Karrde said. "Mainly, the fact that you're standing here

talking with me. How else could a man with a stun weapon and an extremely

nervousmindhavewalkedrightupbehindaJediwithoutbeingnoticed?"

Lukelookedathimsharply,thelastpiecefallingintoplace."Youhadysalamiri

aboardtheWildKarrde."

"Correct," Karrde said. "Purely by chance, actually. Well—" He looked up at

Mara."Perhapsnotentirelybychance."

Luke glanced again at the ysalamir above Karrde's head. "How far does this

bubblingextend?"

"Actually, I'm not sure anyone knows," Karrde conceded. "Legend says that

individual ysalamiri have bubbles from one to ten meters in radius, but that

groupsofthemtogetherhaveconsiderablylargerones.

Some sort of reinforcement, I gather. Perhaps you'll do us the courtesy of

participatinginafewexperimentsregardingthembeforeyouleave."

"Perhaps," Luke said. "Though that probably depends on which direction I'm

headedatthetime."

"Itprobablywill,"Karrdeagreed."Well.Iimagineyou'dliketogetcleanedup

—you'vebeenlivinginthatflightsuitforseveraldaysnow.Didyoubringany

changesofclothingwithyou?"

"There'sasmallcaseinthecargocompartmentofmyX-wing,"Luketoldhim.

"Thankyouforbringingitalong,incidentally."

"Itrynevertowasteanythingthatmaysomedayproveuseful,"Karrdesaid."I'll

haveyourthingssentoverassoonasmyassociateshavedeterminedthatthere

arenohiddenweaponsorotherequipmentamongthem."Hesmiledslightly."I

doubtthataJediwouldbotherwithsuchthings,butIbelieveinbeingthorough.

Goodevening,Skywalker."

Marahadhertinyblasterinhandagain."Let'sgo,"shesaid,gesturingwiththe

weapon.

Lukestoodup."Letmeofferyouoneotheroption,"hesaidtoKarrde."Ifyou

decide you'd rather pretend none of this ever happened, you could just return

Artooandmetowhereyoufoundus.I'dbewillingtotakemychanceswiththe

othersearchers."

"IncludingtheImperials?"Karrdeasked.

"IncludingtheImperials,"Lukenodded.

AsmallsmiletouchedKarrde'slips."Youmightbesurprised.ButI'llkeepthe

optioninmind."



Thesunhaddisappearedbehindthetreesandtheskywasnoticeablydarkeras

Maraescortedhimbackacrossthecompound."DidImissdinner?"heaskedas

theywalkeddownthecorridortowardhisroom.

"Somethingcanbebroughttoyou,"Marasaid,hervoicelittlemorethanathinly

veiledsnarl.

"Thankyou."Luketookacarefulbreath."Idon'tknowwhyyoudislikemeso

much—"

"Shutup,"shecuthimoff."Justshutup."

Grimacing,Lukedidso.Theyreachedhisroomandshenudgedhiminside."We

don'thaveanylockforthewindow,"shesaid,"butthere'sanalarmonit.You

trygoingout,andit'llbeatoss-upastowhetherthevornskrsgettoyoubeforeI

do."Shesmiled,mock-sweetly."Butdon'ttakemywordforit.Tryitandfind

out."

Lukelookedatthewindow,thenbackatMara."I'llpass,thanks."

Withoutanotherwordshelefttheroom,closingthedoorbehindher.Therewas

theclickofanelectroniclockbeingengaged,andthensilence.

Hewenttothewindow,peeredout.Therewerelightsshowinginsome ofthe

other barracks windows, though he hadn't noticed any other lights in his own

building.Whichmadesense,hesupposed.WhetherKarrdedecidedtoturnhim

overtotheEmpireorreleasehimbacktotheNewRepublic,therewasnopoint

inmoreofhisassociatesknowingaboutitthanabsolutelynecessary.

AllthemoresoifKarrdedecidedtotakeMara'sadviceandjustkillhim.

Heturnedaway from thewindowand went backtohis bed, fightingbackthe

fear trying to rise inside him. Never since facing the Emperor had he felt so

helpless.

Or,forthatmatter,actuallybeensohelpless.

He took a deep breath. For the Jedi, there is no emotion; there is peace.

Somehow,heknew,therehadtobeawayoutofthisprison.

Allhehadtodowastostayalivelongenoughtofindit.

Chapter20

"No,Iassureyou,everythingisfine,"ThreepiosaidinLeia'svoice,lookingjust

aboutasunhappybeneathhisheadsetasadroidcouldpossiblylook."HanandI

decided that as long as we were out this way we might as well take a look

aroundtheAbregadosystem."

"I understand, Your Highness," Winter's voice came back over the Falcon' s

speaker.ToHan,shesoundedtired.Tired,andmorethanalittletense."MayI

recommend,though,thatyoudon'tstayawaytoomuchlonger."

ThreepiolookedhelplesslyatHan."We'llbebacksoon,"Hanmutteredintohis

comlink.

"We'llbebacksoon,"ThreepioechoedintotheFalcon'smike.

"Ijustwanttocheckout—"

"—theGados's—"

"—manufacturinginfrastructure."

"Yes,YourHighness,"Wintersaid."I'llpassthatinformationontotheCouncil.

I'msurethey'llbepleasedtohearit."Shepaused,justnoticeably."IwonderifI

mightbepermittedtospeakwithCaptainSoloforamoment."

Acrossthecockpit,Landogrimaced.Sheknows,hemouthedsilently.

No kidding, Han mouthed back. He caught Threepio's eye and nodded. "Of

course,"thedroidsaid,saggingwithobviousrelief."Han—?"

Hanswitchedhiscomlinkover."I'mhere,Winter.What'sup?"

"IwantedtoknowifyouhadanyideayetwhenyouandPrincessLeiawouldbe

returning,"shesaid.

"AdmiralAckbar,particularly,hasbeenaskingaboutyou."

Hanfrownedatthecomlink.Ackbarprobablyhadn'tspokentwowordstohim

outsideofofficial businesssincehe'd resignedhisgeneral's commissionafew

monthsback."You'llhavetothanktheAdmiralforhisinterest,"hetoldWinter,

pickinghiswordscarefully."Itrusthe'sdoingallrighthimself?"

"About as usual," Winter said. "He's having some problems with his family,

though,nowthatschoolisinfullswing."

"Alittlesquabblingamongthechildren?"Hansuggested.

"Bedtimearguments,mainly,"shesaid."Problemswiththelittleoneoverwho's

goingtogettostayupandread—thatsortofthing.Youunderstand."

"Yeah,"Hansaid. "Iknowthe kidsprettywell. Howaboutthe neighbors?He

stillhavingtroublewiththem?"

Therewasabriefpause."I'm...notexactlysure,"shesaid."Hehasn'tmentioned

anythingaboutthemtome.Icanask,ifyou'dlike."

"It's no big deal," Han said. "As long as the family's doing okay—that's the

importantthing."

"Iagree.Atanyrate,Ithinkhemainlyjustwantedtoberememberedtoyou."

"Thanksforpassingonthemessage."HethrewLandoalook."Goaheadandtell

himthatwewon'tbeoutheretoomuchlonger.We'llgotoAbregadoandmaybe

lookinonacoupleofothersandthenheadback."

"Allright,"Wintersaid."Anythingelse?"

"No—yes,"Han correctedhimself."What'sthelatest onthe Bpfasshirecovery

program?"

"ThosethreesystemstheImperialshit?"

"Right." And where he and Leia had had their second brush with those gray-

skinnedalienkidnappers;buttherewasnopointindwellingonthat.

"Let me call up the proper file," Winter said. "...It's coming along reasonably

well.Thereweresomeproblemswithsupplyshipments,butthematerialseems

tobemovingwellenoughnow."

Han frowned at the speaker. "What did Ackbar do, dig up some mothballed

containershipsfromsomewhere?"

"Actually,hemadehisown,"Wintercamebackdryly."He'stakensomecapital

ships—Star Cruisers and Attack Frigates, mostly—cut the crews back to

skeletonsizeandputinextradroids,andturnedthemintocargoships."

Hangrimaced."Ihopehe'sgotsomegoodescortsalongwiththem.EmptyStar

CruiserswouldmakegreattargetpracticefortheImperials."

"I'm sure he's thought of that," Winter assured him. "And the orbit dock and

shipyardsatSluisVanareverywelldefended."

"I'mnotsureanything'sreallywelldefendedthesedays,"Hanreturned sourly.

"NotwiththeImperialsrunninglooseliketheyare.Anyway.Gottogo;talkto

youlater."

"Enjoyyourtrip.YourHighness?Goodbye."

LandosnappedhisfingersatThreepio."Goodbye,Winter,"thedroidsaid.

Han made a slashing motion across his throat, and Lando shut off the

transmitter."IfthoseStarCruisershadbeenbuiltwithproperslavecircuits,they

wouldn'thavetoloadthemwithdroidstomakecontainershipsoutofthem,"he

pointedoutinnocently.

"Yeah,"Hannodded,hismindjustbarelyregisteringLando'swords."Comeon

—we'vegottocutthisshortandgetback."Heclimbedoutofthecockpitseat

andcheckedhisblaster."Something'sabouttoburnthroughonCoruscant."

"YoumeanallthatstuffaboutAckbar'sfamily?"Landoasked,standingup.

"Right,"Hansaid,headingbacktowardtheFalcon'shatchway."IfI'mreading

Winter right, it sounds like Fey'lya has started a major push toward Ackbar's

territory.Comeon,Threepio—youneedtolockupbehindus."

"CaptainSolo,Imustonceagainprotestthiswholearrangement,"thedroidsaid

plaintively,scuttlingup behindHan."IreallyfeelthattoimpersonatePrincess

Leia—"

"Allright,allright,"Hancuthimoff."Assoonaswegetback,I'llhaveLando

undotheprogramming."

"It'soveralready?"Landoasked,pushingpastThreepiotojoinHanatthelock.

"IthoughtyoutoldWinter—"

"That was for the benefit of anyone tapping in," Han said. "As soon as we've

worked through this contact, we're going to head back. Maybe even stop by

KashyyykonthewayandpickupLeia."

Landowhistledsoftly."Thatbad,huh?"

"It'shardtosay,exactly,"Hanhadtoadmitasheslappedtherelease.Theramp

droppedsmoothlydowntothedustypermcretebeneaththem."That'stayingup

latetoread'isthepartIdon'tunderstand.Isupposeitcouldmeansomeofthe

intelligenceworkthatAckbar'sbeendoingalongwiththeSupremeCommander

position.Orworse—maybeFey'lya'sgoingforthewholesabaccpot."

"YouandWintershouldhaveworkedout abetterverbalcode," Landosaidas

theystarteddowntheramp.

"We should have worked out a verbal code, period," Han growled back. "I've

been meaning for three years to sit down with her and Leia and set one up.

Nevergotaroundtoit."

"Well,ifithelps,theanalysismakessense,"Landooffered,glancingaroundthe

dockingpit."It fits the rumors I'veheard, anyway. I take ittheneighbors you

referredtoaretheEmpire?"

"Right.WintershouldhaveheardsomethingaboutitifAckbarhadhadanyluck

pluggingthesecurityleaks."

"Won't that make it dangerous to go back, then?" Lando asked as they started

towardtheexit.

"Yeah," Han agreed, feeling his lip twist. "But we're going to have to risk it.

WithoutLeiatheretoplaypeacemaker,Fey'lyamightjustbeabletobegorbully

therestoftheCouncilintogivinghimwhateveritishewants."

"Mmm."Landopausedatthebottomoftherampleadingtothedockingpitexit

andlookedup."Let'shopethisisthelastcontactintheline."

"Let'shopefirstthattheguyshows,"Hancountered,headinguptheramp.

TheAbregado-raeSpaceporthadhadaterriblereputationamongthepilotsHan

had flown with in his smuggling days, ranking right down at the bottom with

places like the Mos Eisley port on Tatooine. It was therefore something of a

shock,thoughapleasantone,tofindabright,cleancityscapewaitingforthem

whentheysteppedthroughthelandingpitdoor."Well,well,"Landomurmured

frombesidehim.

"HascivilizationfinallycometoAbregado?"

"Strangerthingshavehappened,"Hanagreed,lookingaround.Cleanandalmost

painfullyneat,yetwiththatsameunmistakableairthateverygeneralfreightport

seemedtohave.Thatairofthenot-entirelytame...

"Uh-oh,"Landosaidquietly,hiseyesonsomethingpastHan'sshoulder."Looks

likesomeone'sjustboughttheheavyendofthehammer."

Han turned. Fifty meters down the port perimeter street, a small group of

uniformedmenwithlight-armorvestsand blasterrifleshadgatheredatoneof

the other landing pit entrances. Even as Han watched, half of them slipped

inside,leavingtherestonguardinthestreet."That'sthehammer,allright,"

Hanagreed,craninghisnecktotryandreadthenumberabovethedoor.Sixty-

three. "Let's hope that's not our contact in there. Where are we meeting him,

anyway?"

"Rightoverthere,"Landosaid,pointingtoasmallwindowlessbuildingbuiltin

thegapbetweentwomucholderones.Acarvedwoodenplankwiththesingle

word "LoBue" hung over the door. "We're supposed to take one of the tables

nearthebarandthecasinoareaandwait.He'llcontactusthere."

TheLoBuewassurprisinglylarge,givenitsmodeststreetfront,extendingboth

back from the street and also into the olderbuildingto its left. Just inside the

entrance were a group of conversation-oriented tables overlooking a small but

elaboratedancefloor,thelatterdesertedbutwithsomeannoyingvarietyoftaped

musicplayinginthebackground.Onthefarsideofthedancefloorwereagroup

ofprivatebooths,toodarkforHantoseeinto.Offtotheleft,upafewstepsand

separated from the dance floor by a transparent etched plastic wall, was the

casinoarea."IthinkIseethebarupthere,"Landomurmured.

"Justbackofthesabacctablestotheleft.That'sprobablywherehewantsus."

"You ever been here before?" Han asked over his shoulderastheyskirtedthe

conversationtablesandheadedupthesteps.

"Notthisplace,no.LasttimeIwasatAbregado-raewasyearsago.Itwasworse

than Mos Eisley, and I didn't stay long." Lando shook his head. "Whatever

problems you might have with the new government here, you have to admit

they'vedoneagoodjobofcleaningtheplanetup."

"Yeah,well,whateverproblemsyouhavewiththenewgovernment,let'skeep

themquiet,okay?"Hanwarned."Justforonce,I'dliketokeepalowprofile."

Landochuckled."Whateveryousay."

Thelightinginthebarareawaslowerthanthatinthecasinoproper,butnotso

lowthatseeingwasdifficult.Choosingatablenearthegamingtables,theysat

down.Aholoofanattractivegirlrosefromthecenterofthetableastheydidso.

"Goodday,gentles,"shesaidinpleasantlyaccentedBasic."HowmayIserve?"

"DoyouhaveanyNecr'ygorOmicwine?"Landoasked.

"Wedo,indeed:'47,'49,'50,and'52."

"We'llhaveahalfcarafeofthe'49,"Landotoldher.

"Thankyou,gentles,"shesaid,andtheholovanished.

"Wasthatpartofthecountersign?"Hanasked,lettinghisgazedriftaroundthe

casino.Itwasonlythemiddleoftheafternoon,localtime,butevensooverhalf

thetableswereoccupied.Thebararea,incontrast,wasnearlyempty,withonly

a handfulof humans and aliens scatteredaround. Drinking, apparently, ranked

muchlowerthangamblingonthelistofpopularGadovices.

"Actually,hedidn'tsayanythingaboutwhatweshouldorder,"Landosaid."But

sinceIhappentolikeagoodNecr'ygorOmicwine—"

"AndsinceCoruscantwillbepickingupthetabforit?"

"Somethinglikethat."

The wine arrived on a tray delivered through a slidehatch in the center of the

table."Willtherebeanythingelse,gentles?"thehologirlasked.

Landoshookhishead,pickingupthecarafeandthetwoglassesthathadcome

withit."Notrightnow,thankyou."

"Thankyou."Sheandthetraydisappeared.

"So,"Landosaid,pouringthewine."Iguesswewait."

"Well, while you're busy waiting, do a casual one-eighty," Han said. "Third

sabacctableback—fivemenandawoman.Tellmeiftheguysecondfromthe

rightiswhoIthinkitis."

Liftinghiswineglass,Landoheldituptothelight,asifstudyingitscolor.Inthe

processheturnedhalfwayaround—"NotFynnTorve?"

"Sure looks like him to me," Han agreed. "I figured you'd probably seen him

morerecentlythanIhave."

"NotsincethelastKesselrunyouandIdidtogether."Landocockedaneyebrow

atHan."Justbeforethatotherbigsabacctable,"headdeddryly.

Hangavehimaninjuredlook."You'renotstillsoreabouttheFalcon,areyou?"

"Now..."Landoconsidered."No,probablynot.NosorerthanIwasatlosingthe

gametoanamateurlikeyouinthefirstplace."

"Amateur?"

"—but I'll admit there were times right afterward when I lay awake at night

plottingelaboraterevenge.

GoodthingInevergotaroundtodoinganyofit."

Han looked back at the sabacc table. "If it makes you feel any better... if you

hadn'tlosttheFalcontome,weprobablywouldn'tbesittinghererightnow.The

Empire's first Death Star would have taken out Yavin and then picked the

Allianceapartplanetbyplanet.Andthatwouldhavebeentheendofit."

Landoshrugged."Maybe;maybenot.WithpeoplelikeAckbarandLeiarunning

things—"

"Leia would have been dead," Han cut him off. "She was already slated for

executionwhenLuke,Chewie,andIpulledheroutoftheDeathStar."Ashiver

ranthroughhimatthememory.He'dbeenthatclosetolosingherforever.And

wouldneverevenhaveknownwhathe'dmissed.

Andnowthatheknew...hemightstillloseher.

"She'llbeokay,Han,"Landosaidquietly."Don'tworry."Heshookhishead."I

justwishweknewwhattheImperialswantedwithher."

"Iknowwhattheywant,"Hangrowled."Theywantthetwins."

Landostaredathim,astartledlookonhisface."Areyousure?"

"AssureasIamofanyofthis,"Hansaid."Whyelsedidn'ttheyjustusestun

weaponsonus in that Bpfasshambush? Because the thingshave a better than

fifty-fiftychanceofsparkingamiscarriage,that'swhy."

"Soundsreasonable,"Landoagreedgrimly."DoesLeiaknow?"

"Idon'tknow.Probably."

He looked at the sabacc tables, the cheerful decadence of the whole scene

suddenlygratingagainsthismood.IfTorvereallywasKarrde'scontactman,he

wishedtheotherwouldquitthisnonsenseandgetonwithit.Itwasn'tlikethere

werealotofpossibilitieshangingaroundheretochoosefrom.

Hiseyesdrifted away from thecasino, into the bararea...and stopped. There,

sittingatashadowytableatthefarend,werethreemen.

There was an unmistakable air about a general freight port, a combination of

soundsandsmellsandvibrationsthateverypilotwho'dbeeninthebusinesslong

enoughknew instantly.Therewas anequally unmistakableairabout planetary

securityofficers."Uh-oh,"hemuttered.

"What?" Lando asked, throwing a casual glance of his own around the room.

The glance reached the far table— "Uh-oh, indeed," he agreed soberly.

"Offhand,I'dsaythatexplainswhyTorve'shidingatasabacctable."

"Anddoinghisbesttoignoreus,"Hansaid,watchingthesecurityagentsoutof

thecornerof his eye andtryingto gauge the focusoftheir attention. Ifthey'd

tumbledtothiswholecontactmeetingthereprobablywasn'tmuchhecoulddo

about it, short of hauling out his New Republic ID and trying to pull rank on

them. Which might or might not work; and he could just hear the polite

screamingfitFey'lyawouldhaveoveriteitherway.

ButiftheywerejustafterTorve,maybeaspartofthatlandingpitraidheand

Landohadseenonthewayin...

It was worth the gamble. Reaching over, he tapped the center of the table.

"Attendant?"

Theholoreappeared."Yes,gentles?"

"Givemetwentysabaccchips,willyou?"

"Certainly,"shesaid,andvanished.

"Wait a minute," Lando said cautiously as Han drained his glass. "You're not

goingtogooverthere,areyou?"

"Yougotabetteridea?"Hancountered,reachingdowntoresettlehisblasterin

itsholster."Ifhe'sourcontact,Isuredon'twanttolosehimnow."

Landogaveasighofresignation."Somuchforkeepingalowprofile.Whatdo

youwantmetodo?"

"Be ready to run some interference." The center of the table opened up and a

neatstackofsabaccchipsarrived."Sofaritlookslikethey'rejustwatchinghim

—maybewecangethimoutofherebeforetheirpalsarriveinforce."

"Ifnot?"

Hancollectedthechipsandgotto hisfeet."ThenI'll trytocreateadiversion,

andmeetyoubackattheFalcon."

"Right.Goodluck."

ThereweretwoseatsnotquitehalfwayacrossthesabacctablefromTorve.Han

chose one and sat down, dropping his stack of chips onto the table with a

metallicthud."Dealmein,"hesaid.

The others looked up at him, their expressions varying from surprised to

annoyed.Torvehimselfglancedup,camebackforanotherlook.Hancockedan

eyebrowathim."Youthedealer,sonny?Comeon,dealmein."

"Ah—no,it'snotmydeal,"Torvesaid,hiseyesflickingtothepudgymanonhis

right.

"Andwe'vealreadystarted,"thepudgymansaid,hisvoicesurly."Waituntilthe

nextgame."

"What, you haven't all even bet yet," Han countered, gesturing toward the

handfulofchipsinthehandpot.Thesabaccpot,incontrast,wasprettyrich—

the session must have been going for a couple of hours at least. Probably one

reason the dealer didn't want fresh blood in the game who might conceivably

winitall."Comeon,givememycards,"hetoldtheother,tossingachipintothe

handpot.

Slowly,glaringthewholetime,thedealerpeeledthetoptwocardsoffthedeck

andslidthemover.

"That'smorelikeit,"Hansaidapprovingly."Bringsbackmemories,thisdoes.I

usedtodroptheheavyendofthehammerontheguysbackhomeallthetime."

Torvelookedathimsharply,hisexpressionfreezingtostone."Didyou,now,"

he said, his voice deliberately casual. "Well, you're playing with the big boys

here,notthelittlepeople.Youmaynotfindthesortofrewardsyou'reusedto."

"I'mnotexactlyanamateurmyself,"Hansaidairily.Thelocalsatthespaceport

had been raiding landing pit sixty-three... "I've won—oh, probably sixty-three

gamesinthelastmonthalone."

Another flicker of recognition crossed Torve's face. So it was his landing pit.

"Lot of rewards in numbers like that," he murmured, letting one hand drop

beneath the level of the table. Han tensed, but the hand came back up empty.

Torve'seyesflickedaroundtheroom once,lingeringfor asecondonthetable

whereLandowas sittingbeforeturningbacktoHan."Youwillingtoputyour

moneywhereyourmouthis?"

Hanmethisgazeevenly."I'llmeetanythingyou'vegot."

Torvenoddedslowly."Imayjusttakeyouuponit."

"Thisisallveryinteresting,I'msure,"oneoftheotherplayersspokeup."Some

ofuswouldliketoplaycards,though."

TorveraisedhiseyebrowsatHan."Thebet'satfour,"heinvited.

Hanglancedathiscards:theMistressofStavesandthefourofCoins."Sure,"he

said,lifting sixchipsfromhisstack anddropping themintothehandpot."I'll

see the four, and raise you two." There was a rustle of air behind him—

"Cheater!"adeepvoicebellowedinhisear.

Hanjumpedandspunaround,reachingreflexivelytowardhisblaster,buteven

ashedidsoalargehandshotoverhisshouldertosnatchthetwocardsfromhis

otherhand."Youareacheater,sir,"thevoicebellowedagain.

"Idon'tknowwhatyou'retalkingabout,"Hansaid,craninghisneckuptogeta

lookathisassailant.

He was almost sorry he had. Towering over him like a bushy-bearded

thundercloud twice his own size, the man was glaring down at him with an

expressionthatcouldonlybedescribedasenflamedwithreligiousfervor."You

knowfullwellwhatI'mtalkingabout,"themansaid,bitingouteachword."This

card—"hewavedoneofHan'scards"—isaskifter."

Hanblinked."Itisnot,"heprotested.Acrowdwasrapidlygatheringaroundthe

table: casino security and other employees, curious onlookers, and probably a

fewwhowerehopingtoseealittleblood."It'sthesamecardIwasdealt."

"Oh, is it?" The man cupped the cardin one massive hand, held it in front of

Han'sface,andtouchedthecornerwithafingertip.

TheMistressofStavesabruptlybecamethesixofSabres.Themantappedthe

corner again and it became the Moderation face card. And then the eight of

Flasks...andthentheIdiotfacecard...andthentheCommanderofCoins...

"That's the card I was dealt," Han repeated, feeling sweat starting to collect

underhiscollar.Somuch,indeed,forkeepingalowprofile."Ifit'saskifter,it's

notmyfault."

Ashortmanwithahard-bittenfaceelbowedpastthebeardedman."Keepyour

hands on the table," he ordered Han in a voice that matched his face. "Move

aside,Reverend—we'llhandlethis."

Reverend?Hanlookedupatthegloweringthundercloudagain,andthistimehe

saw the black, crystal-embedded band nestled against the tufts of hair at the

other's throat. "Reverend, huh?" he said with a sinking feeling. There were

extremereligiousgroupsalloverthegalaxy,he'dfound,whosemainpassionin

life seemed to be the elimination of all forms of gambling. And all forms of

gamblers.

"Handson thetable,I said,"the securityman snapped,reachingover topluck

thesuspectcardfromtheReverend'shand.Heglancedatit,triedithimself,and

nodded. "Cute skifter, con," he said, giving Han what was probably his best

scowl.

"He must have palmed the card he was dealt," the Reverendputin.Hehadn't

budgedfromhisplaceatHan'sside."Whereisit,cheater?"

"ThecardIwasdealtisrightthereinyourfriend'shand,"Hansnappedback."I

don'tneedaskiftertowinatsabacc.IfIhadone,it'sbecauseitwasdealttome."

"Oh,really?"Withoutwarning,theReverendabruptlyturnedtofacethepudgy

sabacc dealer, still sitting at the table but almost lost in the hovering crowd.

"Yourcards,sir,ifyoudon'tmind,"hesaid,holdingouthishand.

The other's jaw dropped. "What are you talking about? Why would I give

someoneelseaskifter?

Anyway,it'sahousedeck—see?"

"Well,there'sonewaytobesure,isn'tthere?"theReverendsaid,reachingover

toscoopupthedeck.

"Andthenyou—andyou—"heleveledfingersatthedealerandHan"—canbe

scannedtoseewho'shidinganextracard.Idaresaythatwouldsettletheissue,

wouldn'tyou,Kampl?"headded,lookingdownatthescowlingsecurityman.

"Don'ttellusourjob,Reverend,"Kamplgrowled."Cyru—getthatscannerover

here,willyou?"

The scanner was a small palm-fitting job, obviously designed for surreptitious

operation."Thatonefirst,"

Kamplordered,pointingatHan.

"Right."Expertly,theothercircledHanwiththeinstrument."Nothing."

ThefirsttouchofuncertaintycrackedthroughKampl'sscowl."Tryitagain."

Theotherdidso."Stillnothing. He'sgotablaster,comlink,and ID,andthat's

it."

ForalongmomentKamplcontinuedstaringatHan.Then,reluctantly,heturned

tothesabaccdealer."Iprotest!"thedealersputtered,pushinghimselftohisfeet.

"I'maClassDouble-Acitizen—youhavenorighttoputmethroughthissortof

totallyunfoundedaccusation."

"Youdoithereordownatthestation,"Kamplsnarled."Yourchoice."

ThedealerthrewalookatHanthatwaspurevenom,buthestoodinstiffsilence

whilethesecuritytechscannedhimdown."He'sclean,too,"theotherreported,

aslightfrownonhisface.

"Scanaroundthefloor,"Kamplordered."Seeifsomeoneditchedit."

"Andcountthecardsstillinthedeck,"theReverendspokeup.

Kamplspuntofacehim."Forthelasttime—"

"Becauseifallwehaveherearetherequisiteseventy-sixcards,"theReverend

cuthimoff,hisvoiceheavywithsuspicion,"perhapswhatwe'rereallylooking

atisafixeddeck."

Kampljerkedasifhe'dbeenstung."Wedon'tfixdecksinhere,"heinsisted.

"No?"theReverendglared."Notevenwhenspecialpeoplearesittinginonthe

game?Peoplewhomightknowtolookforaspecialcardwhenitcomesup?"

"That'sridiculous,"Kamplsnarled,takingasteptoward him."TheLoBueisa

respectable and perfectly legal establishment. None of these players has any

connectionwith—"

"Hey!"thepudgydealersaidsuddenly."Theguywhowassittingnexttome—

where'dhego?"

The Reverend snorted. "So. None of them has any connection with you, do

they?"

Someonesworeviolentlyandstartedpushinghiswaythroughthecrowd—one

of the three planetary security types who'd been watching the table. Kampl

watchedhimgo,tooka deepbreath,andturnedtoglareatHan."You wantto

tellmeyourpartner'sname?"

"Hewasn'tmypartner,"Hansaid."AndIwasnotcheating.Youwanttomakea

formalaccusation,takemedowntothestationanddoitthere.Ifyoudon't—"he

got to his feet, scooping up his remaining chips in the process "—then I'm

leaving."

ForalongmomenthethoughtKamplwasgoingtocallhisbluff.Buttheother

hadnorealevidence,andheknewit;andapparentlyhehadbetterthingstodo

thanindulgeinwhatwouldbereallynothingmorethanpettyharassment."Sure

—getoutofhere,"theothersnarled."Don'tevercomeback."

"Don'tworry,"Hantoldhim.

Thecrowdwasstartingtodissolve,andhehadnotroublemakinghiswayback

to his table. Lando, not surprisingly, was long gone. What was surprising was

thathe'dsettledthebillbeforehehadleft.



"Thatwasquick,"LandogreetedhimfromthetopoftheFalcon'sentryramp."I

wasn'texpectingthemtoturnyoulooseforatleastanhour."

"Theydidn'thavemuchofacase,"Hansaid,climbinguptherampandslapping

thehatchbutton."IhopeTorvedidn'tgiveyoutheslip."

Lando shook his head. "He's waiting in the lounge." He raised his eyebrows.

"Andconsidershimselfinourdebt."

"Thatcouldbeuseful,"Hanagreed,headingdownthecurvedcorridor.

Torvewasseatedattheloungeholoboard,threesmalldatapadsspreadoutin

frontofhim."Goodtoseeyouagain,Torve,"Hansaidashesteppedin.

"You,too,Solo,"theothersaidgravely,gettingtohisfeetandofferingHanhis

hand."I'vethankedCalrissianalready,butIwantedtothankyou,too.Bothfor

thewarningandforhelpingmegetoutofthere.I'minyourdebt."

"No problem," Han waved the thanks away. "I take it that is your ship in pit

sixty-three?"

"Myemployer'sship,yes,"Torvesaid,grimacing."Fortunately,there'snothing

contrabandinitatthemoment—I'vealreadyoff-loaded.Theyobviouslysuspect

me,though."

"Whatkindofcontrabandwereyourunning?"Landoasked,comingupbehind

Han."Ifit'snotasecret,thatis?"

Torvecockedaneyebrow."Nosecret,butyou'renotgoingtobelieveit.Iwas

runningfood."

"You'reright,"Landosaid."Idon'tbelieveit."

Torvenodded vaguely offto one side."I didn'teither,at first.Seems there's a

clanofpeoplelivingoffinthesouthernhillswhodon'tfindmuchaboutthenew

governmenttoappreciate."

"Rebels?"

"No, and that's what's strange about it," Torve said. "They're not rebelling or

makingtroubleorevensittingonvitalresources.They'resimplepeople,andall

they want is to be left alone to continue living that way. The government's

apparentlydecidedtomakeanexampleofthem,andamongotherthingshascut

offallfoodandmedicalsuppliesgoingthatwayuntiltheyagreetofallintostep

likeeveryoneelse."

"That sounds like this government," Lando agreed heavily. "Not much into

regionalautonomyofanykind."

"Hence,wesmuggleinfood,"Torveconcluded."Crazybusiness. Anyway,it's

nicetoseeyoutwoagain.Nicetoseeyou'restillworkingtogether,too.Somany

teamshavebrokenupoverthepastfewyears,especiallysinceJabbaboughtthe

reallyheavyendofthehammer."

Han exchanged glances with Lando. "Well, it's actually more like we're back

together,"hecorrectedTorve."Wesortofwounduponthesamesideduringthe

war.Uptillthen..."

"Up till then I wanted to kill him," Lando explained helpfully. "No big deal,

really."

"Sure," Torve said guardedly, looking back and forth between them. "Let me

guess:theFalcon,right?Irememberhearingrumorsthatyoustoleit."

HanlookedatLando,eyebrowsraised."Stoleit?"

"Like I said, I was mad," Lando shrugged. "It wasn't an out-and-out theft,

actually, though it came pretty close. I had a little semilegit clearinghouse for

usedshipsatthetime,andIranshortofmoneyinasabaccgameHanandIwere

playing.Iofferedhimhispickofanyofmyshipsifhewon."HethrewHana

mockglare."Hewassupposedtogoforoneoftheflashychrome-plateyachts

thathadbeencollectingdustonthefrontrow,notthefreighterI'dbeenquietly

upgradingonthesideformyself."

"Youdidagoodjob,too,"Hansaid."ThoughChewieandIwounduppullinga

lotofthestuffoutandredoingitourselves."

"Nice,"Landogrowled."AnothercracklikethatandImayjusttakeitback."

"Chewiewouldprobablytakegreatexceptiontothat,"Hansaid.HefixedTorve

withahardlook."Ofcourse,youknewallthisalready,didn'tyou."

Torvegrinned."Nooffense,Solo.Iliketofeeloutmycustomersbeforewedo

business—get an idea of whether I can expect 'em to play straight with me.

Peoplewholieabouttheirhistoryusuallylieaboutthejob,too."

"Itrustwepassed?"

"Likebabesinthetallgrass,"Torvenodded,stillgrinning."So.WhatcanTalon

Karrdedoforyou?"

Hantookacarefulbreath.Finally.Nowallhehadtoworryaboutwasfouling

thisup."IwanttoofferKarrdeadeal:thechancetoworkdirectlywiththeNew

Republic."

Torvenodded."I'dheardthatyouweregoingaroundtryingtopushthatscheme

withothersmugglinggroups.Thegeneralfeelingisthatyou'retryingtosetthem

upforAckbartotakedown."

"I'm not,"Hanassuredhim. "Ackbar's not exactly thrilled attheidea, but he's

accepted it. We need to get more shipping capacity from somewhere, and

smugglersarethelogicalsupplytotap."

Torvepursedhislips."FromwhatI'vehearditsoundslikeaninterestingoffer.

'Course,I'mnottheonewhomakesdecisionslikethat."

"SotakeustoKarrde,"Landosuggested."LetHantalktohimdirectly."

"Sorry,buthe'satthemainbaseatthemoment,"Torvesaid,shakinghishead."I

can'ttakeyouthere."

"Whynot?"

"Becausewedon't let strangersjust flit inandout," Torve saidpatiently. "We

don'thaveanythinglikethekindofmassive,overbearingsecurityJabbahadon

Tatooine,forstarters."

"We'renotexactly—"Landobegan.

Hancuthimoffwithagesture."Allright,then,"hesaidtoTorve."Howareyou

goingtogetbackthere?"

Torveopenedhismouth,thencloseditagain."IguessI'llhavetofigureouta

waytogetmyshipoutofimpoundment,won'tI?"

"That'lltaketime,"Hanpointedout."Besideswhich,you'reknownhere.Onthe

otherhand,someonewhoshowedupwiththepropercredentialscouldprobably

pryitloosebeforeanyoneknewwhathadhappened."

Torvecockedaneyebrow."You,forinstance?"

Han shrugged. "I might be able to. After that thing at the LoBue I probably

shouldlielow,too.ButI'msureIcouldsetitup."

"I'msure,"Torvesaid,heavilysardonic."Andthecatch...?"

"Nocatch,"Hantoldhim."AllIwantinreturnisforyoutoletusgiveyoualift

backtoyourbase,andthenhavefifteenminutestotalkwithKarrde."

Torvegazedathim,hismouthtight."I'llgetintroubleifIdo this.Youknow

that."

"We're not exactly random strangers," Lando reminded him. "Karrde met me

once,andbothHanandIkeptmajormilitarysecretsfortheAllianceforyears.

We'vegotagoodrecordofpeoplebeingabletotrustus."

Torvelookedat Lando.Lookedagain at Han."I'll get introuble,"he repeated

withasigh."ButIguessIreallydooweyou.Onecondition,though:Idoallthe

navigationonthewayin,andsetitupinacoded,erasablemodule.Whetheryou

havetodothesamethingonthewayoutwillbeuptoKarrde."

"Good enough," Han agreed. Paranoia was a common enough ailment among

smugglers.Anyway,hehadnoparticularinterestinknowingwhereKarrdehad

setupshop."Whencanweleave?"

"As soon as you're ready." Torve nodded at the sabacc chips cupped in Han's

hand."UnlessyouwanttogobacktotheLoBueandplaythose,"headded.

Han had forgotten he was still holding the chips. "Forget it," he growled,

droppingthestackontotheholoboard."Itrynottoplaysabaccwhenthereare

fanaticsbreathingdownmyneck."

"Yes,theReverendputonagoodshow,didn'the?"Torveagreed."Don'tknow

whatwewouldhavedonewithouthim."

"Waitaminute,"Landoputin."Youknowhim?"

"Sure," Torve grinned. "He's my contact with the hill clan. He couldn't have

madenearlysomuchfusswithoutastrangerlikeyouthereforhimtopickon,

though."

"Why, that rotten—" Han clamped his teeth together. "I suppose that was his

skifter,huh?"

"Surewas."TorvelookedinnocentlyatHan."Whatareyoucomplainingabout?

Yougotwhatyouwanted—I'mtakingyoutoseeKarrde.Right?"

Han thought about it. Torve was right, of course. But still... "Right," he

conceded."Somuchforheroics,Iguess."

Torvesnortedgently."Tellmeaboutit. Comeon,let'sgetintoyourcomputer

andstartcodingupanavmodule."

Chapter21

Marasteppeduptothecommroomdoor,wonderinguneasilywhatthissudden

summonswasallabout.

Karrdehadn'tsaid,buttherehadbeensomethinginhisvoicethathadsetherold

survivalinstinctstingling.Checkingthetinyblasterhangingupsidedowninits

sleevesheath,sheslappedatthedoorrelease.

She'dexpectedtofindatleasttwopeoplealreadyintheroom:Karrdeplusthe

commroomdutymanpluswhoeverelsehadbeencalledinonthis.Tohermild

surprise,Karrdewasalone."Comein,Mara,"

heinvited,lookingupfromhisdatapad."Closethedoorbehindyou."

Shedidso."Trouble?"sheasked.

"A minor problem only," he assured her. "A bit of an awkward one, though.

FynnTorvejustcalledtosayhewasonhiswayin...andhehasguests.Former

NewRepublicgeneralsLandoCalrissianandHanSolo."

Marafeltherstomachtighten."Whatdotheywant?"

Karrdeshruggedfractionally."Apparently,justtotalktome."

For a second, Mara's thoughts flicked to Skywalker, still locked away in his

barracksroomacrossthecompound.But,no—therewasnowayanyoneinthe

NewRepubliccouldpossiblyknowhewashere.

MostofKarrde'sownpeopledidn'tknowit,includingthemajorityofthoseright

hereonMyrkr."Didtheybringtheirownship?"sheasked.

"Theirsistheonlyonecomingin,actually,"Karrdenodded."Torve'sridingwith

them."

Mara'seyesflickedtothecommequipmentbehindhim."Ahostage?"

Karrde shook his head. "I don't think so. He gave all the proper all-clear

passwords. The Etherway 's still on Abregado—been impounded by the local

authoritiesorsomesuch.Apparently,CalrissianandSolohelpedTorveavoida

similarfate."

"Then thank them, have them put Torve down, and tell them to get off the

planet,"shesaid."Youdidn'tinvitethemhere."

"True,"Karrdeagreed,watchingherclosely."Ontheotherhand,Torveseemsto

thinkhe'sunderacertainobligationtothem."

"Thenlethimpayitbackonhisowntime."

The skin around Karrde's eyes seemed to harden. "Torve is one of my

associates,"hesaid,hisvoicecold."Hisdebtsaretheorganization's.Youshould

knowthatbynow."

Mara'sthroattightenedasasudden,horriblethoughtoccurredtoher."You'renot

goingtogiveSkywalkertothem,areyou?"shedemanded.

"Alive,youmean?"Karrdecountered.

ForalongmomentMarajuststaredathim;atthatsmallsmileandthoseslightly

heavyeyelids andtherestofthat carefullyconstructedexpressionofcomplete

disinterest in the matter. But it was all an act, and she knew it. He wanted to

know why she hated Skywalker, all right—wanted it with as close to genuine

passionasthemanevergot.

And as far as she was concerned, he could go right on wanting it. "I don't

supposeit'soccurredtoyou,"

she bit out, "that Solo and Calrissian might have engineered this whole thing,

includingtheEtherway'simpoundment,asawayoffindingthisbase."

"It'soccurredtome,yes,"Karrdesaid."Idismisseditassomewhatfarfetched."

"Ofcourse,"Marasaidsardonically."ThegreatandnobleHanSolowouldnever

dosomethingsodevious,wouldhe?Youneveransweredmyquestion."

"AboutSkywalker?IthoughtI'dmadeitclear,Mara,thathestayshereuntilI

knowwhyGrandAdmiralThrawnissointerestedinacquiringhim.Atthevery

least,weneedtoknowwhathe'sworth,andtowhom,beforewecansetafair

marketpriceforhim.Ihavesomefeelersout;withluck,weshouldknowina

fewmoredays."

"Andmeanwhile,hisallieswillbehereinafewmoreminutes."

"Yes," Karrde agreed, his lips puckering slightly. "Skywalker will have to be

movedsomewhereabitmoreoutoftheway—weobviouslycan'triskSoloand

Calrissian stumbling over him. I want you to move him to the number four

storageshed."

"That'swherewe'rekeepingthatdroidofhis,"Mararemindedhim.

"Theshed'sgottworooms;puthimintheotherone."Karrdewavedtowardher

waist."Anddoremembertolosethatbeforeourguestsarrive.Idoubtthey'dfail

torecognizeit."

Mara glanced down at Skywalker's lightsaber hanging from her belt. "Don't

worry. If it's all the same to you, I'd just as soon not have much to do with

them."

"I wasn't planning for you to," Karrde assured her. "I'd like you here when I

greet them, and possibly to join us for dinner, as well. Other than that, you're

excusedfromallsocialactivities."

"Sothey'restayingtheday?"

"Andpossiblythenight,aswell."Heeyedher."Requirementsofaproperhost

aside,canyouthinkofabetterwayforustoprovetotheRepublic,shouldthe

needarise,thatSkywalkerwasneverhere?"

Itmadesense.Butthatdidn'tmeanshehadtolikeit."Areyouwarningtherest

oftheWildKarrde'screwtokeepquiet?"

"I'm doing better than that," Karrde said, nodding back toward the comm

equipment."I'vesenteveryonewhoknowsaboutSkywalkerofftogettheStarry

Iceprepped.Whichremindsme—afteryoumoveSkywalker,Iwantyoutorun

hisX-wingfartherbackunderthetrees.Nomorethanhalfakilometer—Idon't

wantyoutogothroughanymoreoftheforestalonethanyouhaveto.Canyou

flyanX-wing?"

"Icanflyanything."

"Good," he said, smiling slightly. "You'd better be off, then. The Millennium

Falconwillbelandinginlessthantwentyminutes."

Maratookadeepbreath."Allright,"shesaid.Turning,shelefttheroom.

Thecompoundwasemptyasshewalkedacrossittothebarracksbuilding.By

Karrde's design, undoubtedly; he must have shifted people around to inside

dutiestogiveheraclearpathfortakingSkywalkertothestorageshed.Reaching

hisroom,shekeyedoffthelockandslidopenthedoor.

He was standing by the window, dressed in that same black tunic, pants, and

highbootsthathe'dwornthatdayatJabba'spalace.

Thatdayshe'dstoodsilentlybyandwatched...andlethimdestroyherlife.

"Getyourcaseandlet'sgo,"shegrowled,gesturingwiththeblaster."It'smoving

day."

Hiseyesstayedonherashesteppedovertothebed.Notontheblasterinher

hand,butonherface.

"Karrde'smadeadecision?"heaskedcalmlyashepickedupthecase.

For a longmomentshewas tempted to tell him that, no, this was onherown

initiative, just to see if the implications would crack that maddening Jedi

serenity.ButevenaJediwouldprobablyfightifhethoughthewasgoingtohis

death, andtheywere on a tight enough schedule as itwas."You're moving to

one of the storage sheds," she told him. "We've got company coming, and we

don'thaveanyformalwearyoursize.Comeon,move."

Shewalkedhimpastthecentralbuildingtothenumberfourshed,atwo-room

structuretuckedconvenientlybackoutofthecompound'smajortrafficpatterns.

Theroomontheleft,normallyusedforsensitiveordangerousequipment,was

alsotheonlyoneofthestorageareaswithalock,undoubtedlythereasonKarrde

had chosen it to serve the role of impromptu prison. Keeping one eye on

Skywalker, she keyed open the lock, wondering as she did so whether Karrde

hadhadtimetodisabletheinsidemechanism.Aquicklookasthedoorslidopen

showedthathehadn't.

Well,thatcouldeasilybecorrected."Inhere,"sheordered,flickingontheinside

lightandgesturingforhimtoenter.

Hecomplied."Lookscozy,"hesaid,glancingaroundthewindowlessroomand

thepiled shippingboxesthat tookup perhaps halfthe floorspace to theright.

"Probablyquiet,too."

"IdealforJedimeditation,"shecountered,steppingovertoanopenboxmarked

BlastingDisksandtakingalookinside.Noproblem;itwasbeingusedforspare

coverallsatthemoment.Shegavetherestoftheboxmarkingsaquickcheck,

confirmedthattherewasnothingherehecouldpossiblyusetoescape."We'llget

acotorsomethinginforyoulater,"shesaid,movingbacktothedoor."Food,

too."

"I'mallrightfornow."

"Ask me if I care." The inner lock mechanism was behind a thin metal plate.

Twoshotsfromher blasterunsealedoneendoftheplateandcurleditback;a

thirdvaporizedaselectedgroupofwires."Enjoythequiet,"shesaid,andleft.



Thedoorclosedbehindher,andlocked...andLukewasonceagainalone.

He looked around him. Piled boxes, no windows, a single locked door. "I've

beeninworseplaces,"hemutteredunderhisbreath."Atleastthere'snoRancor

here."

Foramomenthefrownedattheoddthought,wonderingwhytheRancorpitat

Jabba's palace should suddenly have flashed to mind. But he only gave it a

moment.Thelackofproperpreparationandfacilitiesinhisnewprisonstrongly

suggested that moving him here had been a spur-of-the-moment decision,

possiblyprecipitatedbytheimminentarrivalofwhoeverthevisitorswereMara

hadmentioned.

Andifso,therewasagoodpossibilitythatsomewhereinthemadscramblethey

mightfinallyhavemadeamistake.

Hewentovertothedoor,easingthestill-warmmetalplatealittlefartherback

andkneelingdowntopeerinsideatthelockmechanism.Hanhad spentafew

idlehours once tryingto teachhim thefinerpoints ofhot-wiring locks,andif

Mara'sshothadn'tdamagedittoobadly,therewasachancehemightbeableto

persuadeittodisengage.

Itdidn'tlookpromising.Whetherbydesignoraccident,Mara'sshothadtaken

outthewirestotheinsidecontrol'spowersupply,vaporizingthemalltheway

backintothewallconduit,wheretherewasnochanceatallofgettingholdof

them.

Butifhecouldfindanotherpowersupply...

He got to his feet again, brushed off his knees, and headed over to the neatly

piled boxes. Mara had glanced at their labels, but she'd actually looked inside

only one of them. Perhaps a more complete search would turn up something

useful.

Thesearch,unfortunately,tookevenlesstimethanhisexaminationoftheruined

lock.Mostoftheboxesweresealedbeyondhiscapabilitytoopenwithouttools,

and the handful that weren't held such innocuous items as clothing or

replacementequipmentmodules.

Allright,then,hetoldhimself,sittingdownontheedgeofoneoftheboxesand

lookingaroundforinspiration.Ican'tusethedoor.Therearen'tanywindows.

Buttherewasanotherroominthisshed—he'dseentheotherdoorwhileMara

was opening thisone.Perhapstherewas some kind of half-height doorway or

crawlspacebetweenthem,hiddenoutofsightbehindthestackedboxes.

Itwasn'tlikely,ofcourse,thatMarawouldhavemissedanythingthatobvious.

But he had time, and nothing else to occupy it. Getting up from his seat, he

beganunstackingtheboxesandmovingthemawayfromthewall.

He'd barely begun when he found it. Not a doorway, but something almost as

good:amultisocketpoweroutlet,setintothewalljustabovethebaseboard.

KarrdeandMarahadmadetheirmistake.

Themetaldoorplate,alreadystressedbytheblasterfireMarahadusedtopeelit

back,wasrelativelyeasytobend.Lukekeptatit,bendingitbackandforth,until

aroughlytriangularpiecebrokeoffinhishand.Itwastoosofttobeofanyuse

against the sealed equipment boxes, but it would probably be adequate for

unscrewingthecoverofacommonpoweroutlet.

He returned to the outlet and lay down in the narrow gap between wall and

boxes. He was just trying to wedgehis makeshift screwdriver against the first

screwwhenheheardaquietbeep.

He froze, listening. The beep came again, followed by a series of equally soft

warbles.Warblesthatsoundedveryfamiliar..."Artoo?"hecalledsoftly."Isthat

you?"

Forapairofheartbeatstherewassilencefromtheotherroom.Then,abruptly,

thewalleruptedwithaminorexplosionofelectronicjabbering.Artoo,withouta

doubt."Steady,Artoo,"Lukecalled back."I'mgoingto tryandgetthis power

outletopen.There'sprobablyoneonyourside,too—canyougetitopen?"

Therewasadistinctlydisgusted-soundinggurgle."No,huh?Well,justhangon,

then."

Thebrokenmetaltrianglewasn'ttheeasiestthingtowork with,particularlyin

thecrampedspaceavailable.Still,ittookLukeonlyacoupleofminutestoget

thecoverplateoffandpullthewiresoutofhisway.Hunchingforward,hecould

seethroughtheholetothebackoftheoutletinArtoo'sroom."Idon'tthinkIcan

getyouroutletopenfromhere,"hecalledtothedroid."Isyourroomlocked?"

Therewasanegativebeep,followedbyanoddsortofwhining,asifArtoowas

spinninghiswheels.

"Restraining bolt?" Luke asked. The spinning/whine came again— "Or a

restraintcollar?"

An affirmative beep, with frustrated overtones. It figured, in retrospect: a

restraining bolt would leave a mark, whereas a collar snugged around Artoo's

lower half would do nothing but let him wear out his wheels a little. "Never

mind,"Lukereassuredhim."Ifthere'senoughwireinheretoreachtothedoor,I

shouldbeabletounlockit.Thenwecanbothgetoutofhere."

Carefully, mindful of the possibility of shock from the higher-current lines

nearby, he found the low-voltagewireandstarted easing it gently toward him

outoftheconduit.Therewasmorethanhe'dexpected;hegotnearlyoneanda

halfmeterscoiledonthefloorbyhisheadbeforeitstoppedcoming.

Morethanhe'dexpected,butfarlessthanheneeded.Thedoorwasagoodfour

metersaway in astraightline, andhewould needsomeslack to getit spliced

into the lock mechanism. "It's going to be a few more minutes," he called to

Artoo,tryingtothink.Thelow-powerlinehadameterandahalfofslacktoit,

which implied the otherlinesprobablydid,aswell.If he could cut that much

lengthofftwoofthem,heshouldhavemorethanenoughtoreachthelock.

Which left only the problem of finding something to cut them with. And, of

course,managingtonotelectrocutehimselfalongtheway.

"What I wouldn't give to have my lightsaber backfor a minute," he muttered,

examiningtheedgeofhismakeshiftscrewdriver.Itwasn'tverysharp;butthen,

thesuperconductingwiresweren'tverythick,either.

Itwastheworkofacoupleofminutestopulltheotherwiresasfaroutofthe

conduitastheywouldgo.

Standingup,hetookoffhistunic,wrappedoneofthesleevestwicearoundthe

metal,andstartedsawing.

He was halfway through the first of the wires when his hand slipped off the

insulatingsleeveandforasecondtouchedthebaremetal.Reflexivelyhejerked

back,banginghishandagainstthewall.

And then his brain caught up with him. "Uh-oh," he murmured, staring at the

half-cutwire.

Therewasaninterrogativewhistlefromtheotherroom."Ijusttouchedoneof

thewires,"hetoldthedroid,"andIdidn'tgetashock."

Artoowhistled."Yeah,"Lukeagreed.Hetappedatthewire...toucheditagain...

heldhisfingeragainstit.

So Karrde and Mara hadn't made a mistake, after all. They'd already cut the

powertotheoutlet.

Foramomenthekneltthere,holdingthewire,wonderingwhathewasgoingto

do now.Hestillhad all this wire, butnopower supply for it to connectwith.

Conversely, there were probably any number of small power sources in the

room, attached to the stored replacement modules, but they were all packed

awayinboxeshecouldn'tgetinto.Couldhesomehowusethewiretogetinto

theboxes?Useittoslicethroughtheoutersealantlayer,perhaps?

He got a firm grip on the wire and pulled on it, trying to judge its tensile

strength.Hisfingersslippedalongtheinsulation;shiftinghisgrip,hewrappedit

firmly around his right hand— And stopped, a sudden prickly feeling on the

backofhisneck.Hisrighthand.Hisartificialrighthand.

Hisartificial,dual-power-supplyrighthand..."Artoo,youknowanythingabout

cybernetic limb replacements?" he called, levering the wrist access port open

withhismetaltriangle.

There was a short pause, then a cautious and ambiguous-sounding warble. "It

shouldn'ttaketoomuch,"

hereassuredthedroid,peeringatthemazeofwiringandservosinsidehishand.

He'dforgottenhowincrediblycomplexthewholethingwas."AllIneedtodois

get one of the power supplies out. Think you can walk me through the

procedure?"

The pause this time was shorter, and the reply more confident. "Good," Luke

said."Let'sgettoit."

Chapter22

Han finished his presentation, sat back in his chair, and waited. "Interesting,"

Karrdesaid,that faintlyamused,totallynoncommittalexpressionofhishiding

whateveritwashewasreallythinking.

"Interesting, indeed. I presume the Provisional Council would be willing to

recordlegalguaranteesofallthis."

"We'll guarantee what we can," Han told him. "Your protection, legality of

operation,andsoforth.

Naturally,wecan'tguaranteeparticularprofitmarginsoranythinglikethat."

"Naturally," Karrde agreed, his gaze shifting to Lando. "You've been rather

quiet,GeneralCalrissian.

Howexactlydoyoufitintoallofthis?"

"Just as a friend," Lando said. "Someone who knew how to get in touch with

you.AndsomeonewhocanvouchforHan'sintegrityandhonesty."

A slight smile touched Karrde's lips. "Integrity and honesty," he repeated.

"Interesting words to use in regard to a man with Captain Solo's somewhat

checkeredreputation."

Hangrimaced,wonderingwhichparticularincidentKarrdemightbereferringto.

Therewere,hehadtoadmit,afairnumbertochoosefrom."Anycheckeringthat

existedisallinthepast,"hesaid.

"Of course," Karrde agreed. "Your proposal is, as I said, very interesting. But

not,Ithink,formyorganization."

"MayIaskwhynot?"Hanasked.

"Very simply, because it would look to certain parties as if we were taking

sides,"Karrdeexplained,sippingfromthecupathisside."Giventheextentof

ouroperations,andtheregionsinwhichthoseoperationstakeplace,thatmight

notbeanespeciallypoliticthingtodo."

"Iunderstand,"Hannodded."I'dlikethechancetoconvinceyouthatthereare

waystokeepyourotherclientsfromknowingaboutit."

Karrde smiled again. "I think you underestimate the Empire's intelligence

capabilities, Captain Solo," he said. "They know far more about Republic

movementsthanyoumightthink."

"Tell me about it," Han grimaced, glancing at Lando. "That reminds me of

something elseIwanted to ask you. Lando said you mightknowaslicer who

wasgoodenoughtocrackdiplomaticcodes."

Karrdecockedhisheadslightlytotheside."Interestingrequest,"hecommented.

"Particularly coming from someone who should already have access to such

codes. Is intrigue beginning to form among the New Republic hierarchy,

perhaps?"

That last conversation with Winter, and her veiled warnings, flashed through

Han's mind. "This is purely personal," he assured Karrde. "Mostly personal,

anyway."

"Ah,"theothersaid."Asithappens,oneofthebestslicersinthetradewillbeat

dinnerthisafternoon.

You'lljoinus,ofcourse?"

Han glanced at his watch in surprise. Between business and small talk, the

fifteen-minute interview that Torve had promised him with Karrde had now

stretchedoutintotwohours."Wedon'twanttoimposeonyourtime—"

"It's no imposition at all," Karrde assured him, setting his cup down and

standing."Withthepressofbusinessandall,wetendtomissthemiddaymeal

entirelyandcompensatebypushingtheeveningdinneruptolateafternoon."

"I remember those wonderful smuggler schedules," Han nodded wryly,

memoriesflashingthroughhismind."You'reluckytogeteventwomeals."

"Indeed,"Karrdeagreed."Ifyou'llfollowme...?"

The main building, Han had noted on the way in, seemed to be composed of

three or four circular zones centering on the greatroom with the strange tree

growing through it. The room Karrde took them to now was in the layer just

outsidethegreatroom,takingperhapsaquarterofthatcircle.Anumberofround

tableswereset up, with several ofthemalready occupied. "We don't standon

protocol regarding meals here," Karrde said, leading the way to a table in the

center of the room. Four people were already sitting there: three men and a

woman.

Karrdesteeredthemtothreevacantseats."Goodevening,all,"henoddedtothe

othersatthetable.

"May I present Calrissian and Solo, who'll be dining with us tonight." He

gesturedtoeachofthemeninturn."Threeofmyassociates:Wadewarn,Chin,

andGhent.GhentistheslicerImentioned;possiblythebestinthebusiness."He

wavedtothewoman."Andofcourseyou'vealreadymetMaraJade."

"Yes,"Hanagreed,noddingtoherandsittingdown,asmallshiverrunningup

hisback. Marahad beenwith Karrdewhen he'dfirst welcomedthem intothat

makeshiftthroneroomofhis.Shehadn'tstayedlong;butforthewholeofthat

brieftimeshe'dglowereddarklyatLandoandhimwiththoseincrediblegreen

eyesofhers.

Almostexactlythesamewayshewasgloweringatthemrightnow.

"Soyou'reHanSolo,"theslicer,Ghent,saidbrightly."I'veheardalotaboutyou.

Alwayswantedtomeetyou."

HanshiftedhisattentionawayfromMaratoGhent.Hewasn'tmuchmorethana

kid,really,barelyoutofhisteens."It'snicetobefamous,"Hantoldhim."Just

rememberthatwhateveryou'veheardhasbeenhearsay.Andthathearsaystories

growanextralegeverytimethey'retold."

"You're too modest," Karrde said, signaling to the side. In response, a squat

droidrolled toward themfrom around theroom's curve,atray ofwhatlooked

like rolled leaves perched on topof it. "It would be difficult to embellish that

Zygerrianslaverincident,forexample."

Lando looked up from the droid's tray. "Zygerrian slavers?" he echoed. "You

nevertoldmethatone."

"Itwasn'tanythingimportant,"Hansaid,warningLandowithalooktodropthe

subject.

Unfortunately,Ghenteithermissedthelookorwastooyoungtoknowwhatit

meant."HeandChewbaccaattackedaZygerrianslavership,"thekidexplained

eagerly."Justthe twoofthem.TheZygerrianswereso scaredtheyabandoned

ship."

"Theyweremorepiratesthanslavers,"Hansaid,givingup."Andtheyweren't

afraid of me—they abandoned ship because I told them I had twenty

stormtrooperswithmeandwascomingaboardtochecktheirshippinglicenses."

Landoraisedhiseyebrows."Andtheyboughtthat?"

Hanshrugged."IwasbroadcastingaborrowedImperialIDatthetime."

"Butthenyouknowwhathedid?"Ghentputin."Hegavetheshipovertothe

slaves they found locked up in the hold. Gave it to them—just like that!

Includingallthecargo,too."

"Why, you old softie," Lando grinned, taking a bite from one of the rolled

leaves."Nowonderyounevertoldmethatone."

Withaneffort,Hanheldontohispatience."Thecargowaspirateplunder,"he

growled. "Some of it extremely traceable. We were off Janodral Mizar—they

hadastrangelocallawatthetimethatpirateorslavervictimsgottosplitupthe

proceedsifthepiratesweretakenorkilled."

"Thatlaw'sstillinforce,asfarasIknow,"Karrdemurmured.

"Probably.Anyway,Chewiewaswithme...andyouknowChewie'sopinionof

slavers."

"Yeah," Lando said dryly. "They'd have had a better chance with the twenty

stormtroopers."

"And if I hadn't just given away the ship—" Han broke off as a quiet beep

sounded.

"Excuseme,"Karrdesaid,pullingacomlinkfromhisbelt."—Karrdehere."

Han couldn't hear what was being said... but abruptly Karrde's face seemed to

tighten."I'llberightthere."

Hegottohisfeetandslippedthecomlinkbackontohisbelt."Excusemeagain,"

hesaid."Asmallmatterneedsmyattention."

"Trouble?"Hanasked.

"I hope not." Karrde glanced across the table, and Han turned in time to see

Marastandup."Hopefully,thiswillonlytakeafewminutes.Pleaseenjoyyour

meal."

Theyleftthetable,andHanlookedbackatLando."I'vegotabadfeelingabout

this,"hemuttered.

Landonodded,hiseyesstillfollowingMaraandKarrde,astrangeexpressionon

hisface."I'veseenherbefore,Han,"hemurmuredback."Idon'tknowwhere,

butIknowI'veseenherandIdon'tthinkshewasasmuggleratthetime."

Hanlookedaroundthetableattheothers,atthewarinessintheireyesandthe

guardedmurmuringbackandforthbetweenthem.EvenGhenthadnoticedthe

suddentensionandwasstudiouslyeatingawayathisappetizers."Well,figureit

out fast, buddy," he told Lando quietly. "We might be about to wear out our

welcome."

"I'mworkingonit.Whatdowedountilthen?"Anotherdroidwastrundlingup,

histrayladenwithfilledsoupbowls."Untilthen,"Hansaid,"Iguessweenjoy

ourmeal."



"Hecameinfromlightspeedabouttenminutesago,"Avessaidtightly,tapping

the mark on the sensor display. "Captain Pellaeon signaled two minutes later.

Askingforyoupersonally."

Karrderubbedafingergentlyacrosshislowerlip."Anysignsoflandingcraftor

fighters?"heasked.

"Notyet,"Avesshookhishead."Butfromhisinsertionangle,I'dguesshe'llbe

droppingsomesoon—downpointprobablysomewhereinthispartoftheforest."

Karrdenoddedthoughtfully.Suchpropitioustiming...forsomeone."Wheredid

wewindupputtingtheMillenniumFalcon?"

"It'soveronpadeight,"Avessaid.

Back in under the edge of the forest, then. That was good—the high metal

contentofMyrkr'streeswouldhelpshielditfromtheChimera'ssensors."Take

twomenandgothrowacamonetoverit,"hetoldtheother."There'snopointin

takingchances.Anddoitquietly—wedon'twanttoalarmourguests."

"Right."Avespulledoffhisheadsetandheadedoutoftheroomatabrisktrot.

KarrdelookedatMara."Interestingtiming,thisvisit."

Shemethisgazewithoutflinching."Ifthat'sasubtlewayofaskingwhetheror

notIcalledthem,don'tbother.Ididn't."

Hecockedhishead."Really.I'malittlesurprised."

"So am I," she countered. "I should have thoughtof itdaysago."Shenodded

towardtheheadset."Yougoingtotalktohimornot?"

"I don't suppose I have much choice." Mentally bracing himself, Karrde sat

downintheseatAveshadjustvacatedandtouchedaswitch."CaptainPellaeon,

thisis TalonKarrde,"hesaid."Myapologiesfor thedelay. WhatcanIdofor

you?"

ThedistantimageoftheChimaeradisappeared,butitwasn'tPellaeon'sfacethat

replacedit.Thisfacewasanightmareimage:longandlean,withpaleblueskin

andeyesthatglitteredliketwobitsofred-hotmetal."Goodafternoon,Captain

Karrde,"theothersaid,hisvoiceclearandsmoothandverycivilized.

"I'mGrandAdmiralThrawn."

"Goodafternoon,Admiral,"Karrdenoddedingreeting,takingitinstride."This

isanunexpectedhonor.

MayIaskthepurposeofyourcall?"

"Part of it I'm sure you've already guessed," Thrawn told him. "We find

ourselvesinneedofmoreysalamiri,andwouldlikeyourpermissiontoharvest

somemoreofthem."

"Certainly,"Karrdesaid,afunnyfeelingstartingtotugatthebackofhismind.

TherewassomethingstrangeaboutThrawn'sposture...andtheImperialshardly

needed his permissiontocomepull ysalamiri off their trees. "If I may say so,

you seem to be running through them rather quickly. Are you having trouble

keepingthemalive?"

Thrawnraisedaneyebrowinpolitesurprise."Noneofthemhasdied,Captain.

Wesimplyneedmoreofthem."

"Ah,"Karrdesaid."Isee."

"Idoubtthat.Butnomatter.Itoccurredtome,Captain,thataslongaswewere

cominghere,itmightbeagoodtimeforustohavealittletalk."

"Whatsortoftalk?"

"I'm sure we can find some topics of mutual interest," Thrawn said. "For

example,I'minthemarketfornewwarships."

LongpracticekeptanyguiltyreactionfromleakingoutthroughKarrde'sfaceor

voice.Butitwasanearthing."Warships?"heaskedcarefully.

"Yes."Thrawnfavoredhimwithathinsmile."Don'tworry—I'mnotexpecting

youtoactuallyhaveanycapitalstarshipsinstock.Butamanwithyourcontacts

maypossiblybeabletoacquirethem."

"I doubt that my contacts are quite that extensive, Admiral," Karrde told him,

tryinghardtoreadthatnot-quite-humanface.Didheknow?Orwasthequestion

merelyanexquisitelydangerouscoincidence?

"Idon'tthinkwe'llbeabletohelpyou."

Thrawn'sexpressiondidn'tchange...butabruptlytherewasanedgeofmenaceto

hissmile."You'lltryanyway.Andthenthere'sthematterofyourrefusaltohelp

inoursearchforLukeSkywalker."

SomeofthetightnessinKarrde'schesteased.Thiswassaferterritory."I'msorry

we were also unable to help there, Admiral. As I explained before to your

representative,wewereunderseveraltightschedulingdeadlinesatthetime.We

simplycouldn'tsparetheships."

Thrawn'seyebrowsliftedslightly."Atthetime,yousay?Butthesearchisstill

goingon,Captain."

Silently, Karrde cursed himself for the slip. "Still going on?" he echoed,

frowning."ButyourrepresentativesaidSkywalkerwasflyinganIncomX-wing

starfighter. If you haven't found him by now, his lifesupport will surely have

givenout."

"Ah,"Thrawnsaid,nodding."Iseethemisunderstanding.Normally,yes,you'd

becorrect.ButSkywalkerisaJedi;andamongaJedi'sbagoftricksistheability

togointoasortofcomatosestate."

Hepaused,andtheimageonthescreenflickeredmomentarily."Sothere'sstill

plentyoftimeforyoutojoininthehunt."

"Isee,"Karrdesaid."Interesting.Isupposethat'sjustoneofthemanythingsthe

averagepersonneverknewaboutJedi."

"Perhapswe'llhavetimetodiscusssuchthingswhenIarriveonMyrkr,"Thrawn

said.

Karrdefroze,ahorriblerealizationshootingthroughhimlikeanelectricshock.

That brief flickering of Thrawn's image— A glance at the auxiliary sensor

displayconfirmedit:threeLambda -classshuttlesandafullTIEfighterescort

had left the Chimaera , heading toward the surface. "I'm afraid we don't have

muchtoentertainyouwith,"hesaidbetweensuddenlystifflips.Certainlynoton

suchshortnotice."

"Noneedforentertainment,"Thrawnassuredhim."AsIsaid,I'msimplycoming

foratalk.Abrieftalk,ofcourse;Iknowhowbusyyouare."

"Iappreciateyourconsideration,"Karrdesaid."Ifyou'llexcuseme,Admiral,I

needtobeginthepreparationstoreceiveyou."

"Ilookforwardtoourmeeting,"Thrawnsaid.Hisfacevanished,andthedisplay

returnedtoitsdistantviewoftheChimaera.

ForalongmomentKarrdejustsatthere,thepossibilitiesandpotentialdisasters

flipping through his mind at top speed. "Get on the comlink to Chin,"he told

Mara."TellhimwehaveImperialguestscoming,andhe'stobeginpreparations

to receive them properly. Then go to pad eight and have Aves move the

MillenniumFalconfartherbackundercover.Gothereinperson—theChimaera

anditsshuttlesmightbeabletotapintoourcomlinktransmissions."

"WhataboutSoloandCalrissian?"

Karrdepursedhislips."We'llhavetogetthemout,ofcourse.Movetheminto

theforest,perhapsatorneartheirship.I'dbetterdealwiththatmyself."

"WhynotturnthemovertoThrawn?"

He looked up at her. At those burning eyes and that rigid, tightly controlled

face..."Withnoofferofabounty?"heasked."RelyingontheGrandAdmiral's

generosityafterthefact?"

"Idon'tfindthatacompellingreason,"Marasaidbluntly.

"NeitherdoI,"hecounteredcoldly."What Idofindcompellingis thatthey're

ourguests.They'vesatatourtableandeatenourfood...andlikeitornot,that

meansthey'reunderourprotection."

Mara'sliptwitched."AnddotheserulesofhospitalityapplytoSkywalker,too?"

sheaskedsardonically.

"Youknowtheydon't,"hesaid."Butnowisnotthetimeortheplacetoturnhim

overtotheEmpire,evenifthat'sthewaythedecisionultimatelygoes.Doyou

understand?"

"No,"shegrowled."Idon't."

Karrdeeyedher,stronglytemptedtotellherthatshedidn'tneedtounderstand,

onlytoobey."It'samatterofrelativestrength,"hetoldherinstead."Hereonthe

ground, with an Imperial Star Destroyer orbiting overhead, we have no

bargainingpositionatall.Iwouldn'tdobusinessundersuchcircumstanceseven

ifThrawnwasthemosttrustworthyclientinthegalaxy.Whichhe'snot.Nowdo

youunderstand?"

Shetookadeepbreath,letitout."Idon'tagree,"shegritted."ButI'llacceptyour

decision."

"Thank you. PerhapsaftertheImperials leave, you can ask General Calrissian

about the perils of making bargains while stormtroopers are strolling around

yourterritory."Karrdelookedbackatthedisplay."So.

Falconmoved;SoloandCalrissianmoved.Skywalkerandthedroidshouldbe

all right where they are—the four shed has enough shielding to keep out

anythingbutafairlydeterminedprobe."

"AndifThrawnisdetermined?"

"Thenwemayhavetrouble,"Karrdeagreedcalmly."Ontheotherhand,Idoubt

that Thrawn would be coming down himself if he thought there was the

possibility of a firefight. The upper military ranks don't achieve that status by

riskingtheirownlivesunnecessarily."Henoddedatthedoor."Enoughtalk.You

haveyourjob;Ihavemine.Let'sgettothem."

Shenoddedandturnedtothedoor;andasshedidso,asuddenthoughtstruck

him."WheredidyouputSkywalker'slightsaber?"heasked.

"It'sinmyroom,"shesaid,turningback."Why?"

"Bettergetitandputitsomewhereelse.Lightsabersaren'tsupposedtobehighly

detectable, but there's no point in taking chances. Put it in with the resonator

cavitiesinthreeshed;theyoughttoprovideadequateshieldingfromstraysensor

probes."

"Right." She regarded him thoughtfully. "What was all that business about

capitalstarships?"

"Youheardeverythingthatwassaid."

"Iknow.Iwastalkingaboutyourreactiontoit."

Hegrimacedtohimself."I'dhopeditwasn'tthatobvious."

"Itwasn't."Shewaitedexpectantly.

Hepursedhislips."Askmeagainlater.Rightnow,wehaveworktodo."

Foranothersecondshestudiedhim.Then,withoutaword,shenoddedandleft.

Takinga deepbreath, Karrdegottohisfeet. Firstthing todo wouldbe toget

back to the dining room and inform his guests of the sudden change in plans.

Andafterthat,topreparehimselfforaface-to-faceconfrontationwiththemost

dangerousmanintheEmpire.WithSkywalkerandsparewarshipsastwoofthe

topicsofconversation.

Itwasgoingtobeamostinterestingafternoon.



"Okay,Artoo,"Lukecalledashemadethelastoftheconnections."Ithinkwe're

readytotryit.Crossyourfingers."

Fromthenextroomcameacomplicatedseriesofelectronicjabbers.Probably,

Lukedecided,thedroidremindinghimthathedidn'thaveanyfingerstocross.

Fingers.ForamomentLukelookeddownathisrighthand,flexinghisfingers

andfeelingtheunpleasantpins-and-needlestingling/numbnessthere.Ithadbeen

fiveyearssincehe'dreallythoughtofthehandasbeingamachineattachedto

hisarm.Now,suddenly,itwasimpossibletothinkofitasanythingbutthat.

Artoobeepedimpatiently."Right,"Lukeagreed,forcinghisattentionawayfrom

hishandasbesthecouldandmovingtheendofthewiretowardwhathehoped

was the proper contact point. It could have been worse, he realized: the hand

could have been designed with only a single power supply, in which case he

wouldn't haveeventhismuch use of it. "Here goes," he said, and touchedthe

wire.

Andwithnofussordramaticswhatsoever,thedoorslidquietlyopen.

"Gotit,"Lukehissed.Carefully,tryingnottolosethecontactpoint,heleaned

overandpeeredoutside.

Thesunwasstartingtosinkbehindthetrees,throwinglongshadowsacrossthe

compound. From his position Luke could see only a little of the grounds, but

whathecouldseeseemedtobedeserted.Settinghisfeet,heletgoofthewire

anddivedforthedoorway.

Withthecontactbroken,thedoorslidshutagain,nearlycatchinghisleftankle

ashehitthegroundandrolledawkwardlyintoacrouch.Hefroze,waitingtosee

ifthenoisewouldsparkanyreaction.Butthesilencecontinued;andafterafew

seconds,hegottohisfeetandrantotheshed'sotherdoor.

Artoohadbeenright:therewasindeednolockonthishalfoftheshed.Lukehit

therelease,threwonelastglancearound,andslippedinside.

Thedroidbeepedanenthusiasticgreeting,bobbingbackandforthawkwardlyin

the restraint collar, a torus-shaped device that fit snugly around his legs and

wheels. "Quiet,Artoo," Luke warned the other, kneelingdownto examine the

collar."Andholdstill."

He'd been worried that the collar would be locked or intertwined into Artoo's

wheelsysteminsomeway,requiringspecialtoolstodisengage.Butthedevice

wasmuchsimplerthanthat—itmerelyheldenoughofthedroid'sweightoffthe

floorsothathecouldn'tgetanyrealtraction.Lukereleasedapairofclaspsand

pushed the hinged halves apart, and Artoo was free. "Come on," he told the

droid,andheadedbacktothedoor.

Asfarashecouldsee,thecompoundwasstilldeserted."Theship'saroundthat

way,"hewhispered, pointing towardthecentral building. "Lookslike the best

approachwouldbetocircletotheleft,keepinginsidethetreesasmuchaswe

can.Canyouhandletheterrain?"

Artooraisedhisscanner,beepedacautiousaffirmative."Okay.Keepaneyeout

foranyonecomingoutofthebuildings."

They'dmadeitintothewoods,andwereperhapsaquarterofthewayaroundthe

circle, when Artoo gave a warning chirp. "Freeze," Luke whispered, stopping

deadbesidealargetreetrunkandhopingtheywereenoughintheshadows.His

ownblackoutfitshouldblendadequatelyintothedarkeningforestbackground,

butArtoo'swhiteandbluewereanothermatterentirely.

Fortunately,thethreemenwhocameoutofthecentralbuildingneverlookedin

theirdirection,butheadedstraighttowardtheedgeoftheforest.

Headed there at a fast, determined trot... and just before they disappeared into

thetrees,allthreedrewtheirblasters.

Artoomoanedsoftly."Idon'tlikeit,either,"Luketoldhim."Let'shopeitdoesn't

haveanythingtodowithus.Allclear?"

Thedroidbeepedaffirmation,andtheystartedoffagain.Lukekepthalfaneye

on the forest behind them, remembering Mara's veiled hints about large

predators.Itcouldhavebeenalie,ofcourse,designedtodiscouragehimfrom

trying toescape.Forthat matter, he'd never spotted any realevidencethat the

windowofhispreviousroomhadhadanalarmonit.

Artoo beeped again. Luke twisted his attention back to the compound... and

froze.

Marahadsteppedoutofthecentralbuilding.

Forwhatseemedlikealongtimeshejuststoodthereonthedoorstep,looking

distractedlyupintothesky.Lukewatchedher,notdaringeventolookdownto

see howwellconcealed Artoo might be. Ifsheturned in their direction—or if

shewenttotheshedtoseehowhewasdoing...

Abruptly, she looked down again, a determined expression on her face. She

turnedtowardthesecondbarracksbuildingandheadedoffatabriskwalk.

Lukeletoutabreathhehadn'trealizedhe'dbeenholding.Theywerefarfrom

beingoutofdanger—allMarahadtodowasturnherhead90degreestoherleft

andshe'dbelookingdirectlyatthem.Butsomethingaboutherpostureseemed

toindicatethatherattentionandthoughtswereturnedinward.

Asifshe'dsuddenlymadeaharddecision...

Shewentintothebarracks,andLukemadeaquickdecisionofhisown."Come

on,Artoo,"hemurmured."It'sgettingtoocrowdedouthere.We'regoingtocut

fartherintotheforest,comeupontheshipsfrombehind."

Itwas,fortunately,ashortdistancetothemaintenancehangarandthegroupof

ships parked alongside it. They arrived after only a few minutes—to discover

theirX-winggone.

"No,Idon'tknowwherethey'vemoveditto,"Lukegritted,lookingaroundas

besthecouldwhilestillstayingundercover."Canyoursensorspickitup?"

Artoobeepedanegative,addingachirpingexplanationLukecouldn'tevenbegin

tofollow."Well,itdoesn'tmatter,"hereassuredthedroid."We'dhavehadtoput

down somewhere else on the planet and find something with a working

hyperdrive,anyway.We'lljustskipthatstepandtakeoneofthese."

Heglancedaround,hopingtofindaZ-95orY-wingorsomethingelsehewasat

leastmarginallyfamiliarwith.ButtheonlyshipsherecognizedwereaCorellian

Corvette and what looked like a downsized bulk freighter. "Got any

suggestions?"heaskedArtoo.

Thedroidbeepedapromptaffirmative,hislittlesensordishsettlingonapairof

long, lean ships about twice the length or Luke's X-wing. Fighters, obviously,

butnotlikeanythingtheAlliancehadeverused.

"Oneofthose?"heaskeddoubtfully.

Artoobeepedagain,adistinctnoteofimpatiencetothesound."Right;we'rea

littlepressedfortime,"

Lukeagreed.

Theymadeitacrosstooneofthefighterswithoutincident.UnliketheX-wing

design, the entrance was a hinged hatchway door in the side—possibly one

reason Artoo had chosen it, Luke decided as he manhandled the droid inside.

Thepilot'scockpitwasn'tmuchroomierthananX-wing's,butdirectlybehindit

was a three-seat tech/weapons area. The seats weren't designed for astromech

droids,ofcourse,butwithalittleingenuityonLuke'spartandsomestretchon

the restraints', he managed to get Artoo wedged between two of the seats and

firmly strapped in place. "Looks like everything's already on standby," he

commented,glancingat theflickeringlightsonthecontrolboards. "There'san

outletrightthere—giveeverythingaquickcheckwhileI strapin.Withalittle

luck,maybewecanbeoutofherebeforeanyoneevenknowswe'regone."



She had delivered the open comlink message to Chin, and the quieter ones to

Aves and the others at the Millennium Falcon ; and as she stalked her way

glowering across the compound toward the number three shed, Mara decided

oncemorethatshehatedtheuniverse.

She'dbeentheonewho'dfoundSkywalker.She,byherself,alone.Therewasno

question about that; no argument even possible. It should be she, not Karrde,

whohadthefinalsayonhisfate.

Ishouldhavelefthimoutthere,shetoldherselfbitterlyasshestompedacross

thebeatenground.

Shouldhavejustlethimdieinthecoldofspace.She'dconsideredthat,too,at

thetime.Butifhe'd diedoutthere,allalone,shemightneverhaveknownfor

surethathewas,infact,dead.

Andshecertainlywouldn'thavehadthesatisfactionofkillinghimherself.

Shelookeddownatthelightsaberclenchedinherhand,watchingtheafternoon

sunlight glint from the silvery metal as she hefted its weight. She could do it

now, she knew. Could go in there to check on him and claim he had tried to

jump her. Without the Force to call on, he would be an easy target, even for

someonelikeherwhohadn'tpickedupalightsabermorethanahandfuloftimes

inherlife.Itwouldbeeasy,clean,andveryfast.

Andshedidn'toweKarrdeanything,nomatterhowwellhisorganizationmight

havetreatedher.Notaboutsomethinglikethis.

Andyet...

Shewascominguponfourshed,stillundecided,whensheheardthefaintwhine

ofarepulsorlift.

Shepeeredupintothesky,shadinghereyeswithherfreehandasshetriedto

spottheincomingship.

But nothing was visible... and as the whine grew louder, she realized abruptly

thatitwasthesoundofoneoftheirownvehicles.Shespunaroundandlooked

over toward the maintenance hangar— Just in time to see one of their two

Skiprayblastboatsriseabovethetreetops.

For a pair of heartbeats she stared at the ship, wondering what in the Empire

Karrdethoughthewasdoing.SendinganescortorpilotshipfortheImperials,

perhaps?

Andthen,abruptly,itclicked.

She twisted back and sprinted for the four shed, pulling her blaster from its

forearmsheathassheran.

Thelockontheroom inexplicablyrefusedtoopen;she triedittwiceandthen

blastedit.

Skywalkerwasgone.

Sheswore,viciously,andranoutintothecompound.TheSkiprayhadshiftedto

forward motion now, disappearing behind the trees to the west. Jamming her

blasterbackintoitssheath,shegrabbedthecomlinkoffherbelt—Andswore

again. The Imperials could be here at any minute, and any mention of

Skywalker'spresencewouldlandthemallinverydeeptroubleindeed.

Whichleftherwithexactlyoneoption.

Shereachedthe second Skipray atadead run and had itinthe air within two

minutes.Skywalkerwouldnot—wouldnot—getawaynow.

Kickingthedrivetofullpower,shescreamedoffinpursuit.

Chapter23

They showed up almost simultaneously on the scopes: the other of Karrde's

fightershipspursuinghimfrombehind,andtheImperialStarDestroyerinorbit

faroverhead."Ithink,"LukecalledbacktoArtoo,"thatwe'reintrouble."

Thedroid's replywasalmostswallowedup inthe roarasLukegingerlyeased

the drive up as high as he dared. The strange fighter's handling wasn't even

remotely like anything he'd ever flown before; slightly reminiscent of the

snowspeeders the Alliance had used on Hoth, but with the kind of sluggish

responsetimethatimpliedagreatdealofarmorandenginemass.Withtime,he

wasprettysurehe'dbeabletomasterit.

Buttimewassomethinghewasrapidlyrunningoutof.

He risked a glance at the aft-vision display. The other fighter was coming up

fast, with no more than a minute or two now separating the two ships.

Obviously,thepilothadfarmoreexperiencewiththecraftthanLukehad.That,

orelsesuchafiercedeterminationtorecaptureLukethatitcompletelyoverrode

normalcommon-sensecaution.

Eitherway,itmeantMaraJade.

Thefighterdippedalittletoodeep,scrapingitsventraltailfinagainstthetopsof

thetreesanddrawingasharpsquealofprotestfromArtoo."Sorry,"Lukecalled

back,feelingafreshsurgeofperspirationbreakoutonhisforeheadasheagain

carefully eased the drive up a notch. Speaking of overriding common sense...

But at the moment, sticking to the treetops was about the only option he had.

The forest below, for some unknown reason, seemed to have a scattering or

scramblingeffectonsensorscans,bothdetectionandnavigational.Stayinglow

forcedhispursuertostaylow,too,lestshelosevisualcontactwithhimagainst

themottledforestbackdrop,andalsoatleastpartiallyhidhimfromtheorbiting

StarDestroyer.

TheStarDestroyer.Lukeglancedattheimageonhisoverheadscope,feelinghis

stomach tighten. At least he knew now who the company was Mara had

mentioned.Itlookedlikehe'dgottenoutjustinthenickoftime.

On the other hand, perhaps the move to that storage shed implied that Karrde

haddecidednot tosellhimto theImperialsafterall.It mightbeworthasking

Karrdeaboutsomeday.Preferablyfromagreatdistance.

Behind him, Artoo suddenly trilled a warning. Luke jerked in his seat, eyes

flickeringacrossthescopesashesearchedforthesourceofthetrouble—And

jerkedagain.There,directlyabovehisdorsaltailfinandlessthanaship'slength

away,wastheotherfighter.

"Hangon!"LukeshoutedatArtoo,clenchinghisteethtightlytogether.Hisone

chance now was to pull a drop-kick Koiogran turn, killing his forward

momentum and loop-rolling into another direction. Twisting the control stick

withone hand,he jammedthe throttleforward withthe other—And abruptly,

thecockpitcanopyexplodedintoaslappingtangleoftreebranches,andhewas

thrownhardagainsthisrestraintsasthefighterspunandtwistedandrolledout

ofcontrol.

ThelastthingheheardbeforethedarknesstookhimwasArtoo'sshrillelectronic

scream.



The three shuttles came to a perfectly synchronized landing as, overhead, the

TIE fighter escort shot by inequallyperfectformation."The Empire's parade-

groundexpertisehasn'teroded,anyway,"Avesmurmured.

"Quiet,"Karrdemurmuredback,watchingtheshuttlerampslowertotheground.

Thecenterone,almostcertainly,wouldbeThrawn's.

Marching with blaster rifles held ceremonially across their chests, a line of

stormtroopers filed down each of the three ramps. Behind them, emerging not

from the center but from the rightmost of the shuttles, came a handful of

midrankingofficers.Followingthemcameashort,wirybeingofunknownrace

withdarkgrayskin,bulgingeyes,aprotrudingjaw,andthelookofabodyguard.

FollowinghimcameGrandAdmiralThrawn.

So much, Karrde thought, for him doing things the obvious way. It would be

somethingtomakeanoteofforfuturereference.

With his small reception committee beside him, he walked toward the

approachinggroupofImperials,tryingtoignorethestaresofthestormtroopers.

"GrandAdmiralThrawn,"henoddedingreeting.

"WelcometoourlittlecornerofMyrkr.I'mTalonKarrde."

"Pleasedtomeetyou,Captain,"Thrawnsaid,inclininghisheadslightly.Those

glowingeyes, Karrdedecided,were evenmore impressiveinperson thanthey

wereonacommdisplay.Andconsiderablymoreintimidating.

"I apologize for our somewhat less than formal greeting," Karrde continued,

wavingahandathisgroup.

"Wedon'toftenentertainpeopleofyourstatushere."

Thrawncockedablue-blackeyebrow."Really.I'dhavethoughtamaninyour

position would be used to dealing with the elite. Particularly high planetary

officialswhosecooperation,shallwesay,youfindyourequire?"

Karrdesmiledeasily. "Wedealwith the elitefrom time totime.But nothere.

This is—was, I should say," he added, glancing significantly at the

stormtroopers,"—ourprivateoperationsbase."

"Ofcourse,"Thrawnsaid."Interestingdramaafewminutesagoouttheretothe

west.Tellmeaboutit."

Withaneffort,Karrdehidagrimace.He'dhopedthesensor-scramblingeffectof

Myrkr's trees would have hidden the Skipray chase from Thrawn's view.

Obviously, it hadn't. "Merely a small internal problem," he assured the Grand

Admiral."Aformerandsomewhatdisgruntledemployeebrokeintooneofour

storage sheds, stole some merchandise, and made off with one of our ships.

Anotherofourpeopleisinpursuit."

"Wasinpursuit,Captain,"Thrawncorrectedlazily,thoseeyesseemingtoburn

intoKarrde'sface."Ordidn'tyouknowtheybothwentdown?"

Karrdestared athim,athinneedleofice runningthrough him."I didn'tknow

that,no,"hesaid."Oursensors—themetalliccontentofthetreesfoulsthemup

badly."

"Wehadahigherobservationangle,"Thrawnsaid."Itlookedasifthefirstship

hit the trees, with the pursuer getting caught in the slipstream." He regarded

Karrdethoughtfully."Itakeitthepursuerwassomeonespecial?"

Karrdelethisfacehardenabit."Allmyassociatesarespecial,"hesaid,pulling

out his comlink. "Please excuse me a moment; I have to get a rescue team

organized."

Thrawntookalongstepforward,reachingtwopalebluefingerstocoverthetop

ofthecomlink."Permitme,"hesaidsmoothly."Troopcommander?"

Oneofthestormtrooperssteppedforward."Sir?"

"Takeadetail out to thecrashsite," Thrawn ordered, hiseyesstill on Karrde.

"Examinethewreckage,andbringbackanysurvivors.Andanythingthatlooks

likeitwouldn'tnormallybelonginaSkiprayblastboat."

"Yes,sir."Theothergestured,andoneofthecolumnsofstormtroopersturned

andretracedtheirstepsuptherampoftheleft-mostshuttle.

"Iappreciateyourassistance,Admiral,"Karrdesaid,hismouthsuddenlyalittle

dry."Butitreallyisn'tnecessary."

"On the contrary, Captain," Thrawn said softly. "Your assistance with the

ysalamirihasleftusinyourdebt.Howbetterforustorepayyou?"

"How better, indeed?"Karrdemurmured.The ramp lifted into place, and with

thehumofrepulsorlifts,theshuttleroseintotheair.Thecardsweredealt,and

therewasnothinghecoulddonowtoalterthem.

HecouldonlyhopethatMarasomehowhadthingsundercontrol.

Withanyoneelse,hewouldn'thavebetonit.WithMara...therewasachance.

"Andnow,"Thrawnsaid,"Ibelieveyouweregoingtoshowmearound?"

"Yes,"Karrdenodded."Ifyou'llcomethisway,please?"



"Looks like the stormtroopers are leaving," Han said quietly, pressing the

macrobinoculars a little harder against his forehead. "Some of them, anyway.

Filingbackintooneoftheshuttles."

"Letmesee,"Landomutteredfromtheothersideofthetree.

Keepinghismovementsslowandcareful,Hanhandedthemacrobinocularsover.

TherewasnotellingwhatkindofequipmenttheyhadonthoseshuttlesandTIE

fighters,andhedidn'tespeciallytrustallthistalkabouthowgoodthetreeswere

atsensorshielding.

"Yes,itseemstobejusttheoneshuttlethat'sgoing,"Landoagreed.

Hanhalfturned,theserrated,grasslikeplantstheywerelyingontopofdigging

into his shirt with the movement. "You get Imperial visitors here often?" he

demanded.

"Not here," Ghent shook his head nervously, his teeth almost chattering with

tension."They'vebeentotheforestonceortwicetopickupsomeysalamiri,but

they'venevercometothebase.Atleast,notwhileIwashere."

"Ysalamiri?"Landofrowned."Whatarethose?"

"Littlefurrysnakeswithlegs,"Ghentsaid."Idon'tknowwhatthey'regoodfor.

Look,couldn'twegetbacktotheshipnow?KarrdetoldmeIwassupposedto

keepyouthere,whereyou'dbesafe."

Hanignoredhim."Whatdoyouthink?"heaskedLando.

Theother shrugged."Got tohave somethingtodowiththatSkipraythat went

burningoutofherejustasKarrdewasherdingusout."

"There was some kind of prisoner," Ghent offered. "Karrde and Jade had him

stashedaway—maybehegotout.Now,canwepleasegetbackto—"

"Aprisoner?"Landorepeated,frowningbackatthekid."WhendidKarrdestart

dealingwithprisoners?"

"Maybe when he started dealing with kidnappers," Han growled before Ghent

couldanswer.

"Wedon'tdealwithkidnappers,"Ghentprotested.

"Well,you'redealingwithonenow,"Hantoldhim,noddingtowardthegroupof

Imperials."That littlegray guy inthere?—that's oneof the alienswho triedto

kidnapLeiaandme."

"What?"Landopeeredthroughthemacrobinocularsagain."Areyousure?"

"It'soneofthespecies,anyway.Wedidn'tstopatthetimetogetnames."Han

lookedbackatGhent.

"Thisprisoner—whowashe?"

"I don't know," Ghent shook his head. "They brought him back on the Wild

Karrdeafewdaysagoandputhimintheshorttermbarracks.Ithinkthey'djust

moved him over to one of the storage sheds when we got the word that the

Imperialswerecomingdownforavisit."

"Whatdidhelooklike?"

"Idon'tknow!"Ghenthissed,whatlittlewasleftofhiscomposuregoingfast.

Skulkingaroundforestsandspyingonarmedstormtrooperswasclearlynotthe

sortofthinganexpertslicerwassupposedtohavetoputupwith."Noneofus

wassupposedtogonearhimoraskanyquestionsabouthim."

LandocaughtHan'seye."Couldbesomeonetheydon'twanttheImperialstoget

holdof.Adefector,maybe,tryingtogettotheNewRepublic?"

Han felt his lip twist. "I'm more worried right now about them having moved

himoutofthebarracks.

Thatcouldmeanthestormtroopersareplanningtomoveinforawhile."

"Karrdedidn'tsayanythingaboutthat,"Ghentobjected.

"Karrdemaynotknowityet,"Landosaiddryly."Trustme—Iwasontheshort

end of a stormtrooper bargain once." He handed the macrobinoculars back to

Han."Lookslikethey'regoinginside."

Theywere,indeed.Hanwatchedastheprocessionsetoff:Karrdeandtheblue-

skinnedImperialofficerinfront,theirrespectiveentouragesfollowing,thetwin

columns of stormtroopers flanking the whole parade. "Any idea who that guy

withtheredeyesis?"heaskedGhent.

"Ithinkhe'saGrandAdmiralorsomething,"theothersaid."TookoverImperial

operationsawhileback.Idon'tknowhisname."

HanlookedatLando,foundtheothersendingthesamelookrightbackathim.

"AGrandAdmiral?"

Landorepeatedcarefully.

"Yeah.Look,they'regoing—there'snothingelsetosee.Canweplease—?"

"Let's get back to the Falcon," Han muttered, stowing the macrobinoculars in

their belt pouch and starting a backwards elbows-and-knees crawl from their

coveringtree.AGrandAdmiral.NowondertheNewRepublichadbeengetting

theskycutoutfromunderthemlately.

"Idon'tsupposeyouhaveanyrecordsonImperialGrandAdmiralsbackonthe

Falcon,"Landomurmured,backingupalongsidehim.

"No,"Hantoldhim."Butthey'vegot'emonCoruscant."

"Great," Lando said, the words almost lost in the hissing of the sharp-bladed

grassastheyelbowedtheirwaythroughit."Let'shopewelivelongenoughto

getthistidbitbackthere."

"Wewill,"Hanassuredhimgrimly."We'llstickaroundlongenoughtofindout

what kind of game Karrde's playing, but then we're gone. Even if we have to

blowoutofherewiththatcamonetstillhangingofftheship."



Thestrangestthingaboutwakingupthistime,Lukedecideddimly,wasthathe

didn'tactuallyhurtanywhere.

Andheshouldhave.Fromwhatherememberedofthoselastfewseconds—and

fromtheviewofsplinteredtreesoutsidethefighter'stwistedcanopy—hewould

havecountedhimselfluckyeventobealive,letaloneundamaged.Clearly,the

restraints and crash balloons had been augmented by something more

sophisticated—anemergencyaccelerationcompensator,perhaps.

A shaky sort of gurgle came from behind him. "You okay, Artoo?" he called,

leveringhimselfoutofhisseatandclimbingawkwardlyacrossthecantedfloor.

"Hangon,I'mcoming."

The droid's information retrieval jack had been snapped off in the crash, but

apart from that and a couple of minor dents, he didn't seem to have been

damaged. "We'd better get moving," Luke told him, untangling him from his

restraints."Thatothershipcouldbebackwithagroundpartyanytime."

With an effort, he got Artoo aft. The hatchway door popped open without

seriouscomplaint;hoppingdown,helookedaround.

Thesecondfighterwouldnotbereturningwithanygroundparties.Itwasright

here.Inworseshape,ifpossible,thanLuke's.

Fromthehatchway, Artoo whistled in squeamish-soundingawe. Luke glanced

upathim,lookedbackattheruinedcraft.Giventhefighters'safetyequipment,

itwasunlikelythatMarawasseriouslyinjured.Abackupflightwasinevitable

—shewouldprobablybeabletoholdoutuntilthen.

Butthenagain,shemightnot.

"Waithere,Artoo,"hetoldthedroid."I'mgoingtotakeaquicklook."

Even though the exterior of the fighter was in worse shape than Luke's, the

interior actually seemed to be a little better off. Crunching his way across the

bitsofdebrisintheweapons/techarea,hesteppedintothecockpitdoorway.

Onlythetopofthepilot'sheadshowedovertheseatback,butthatshimmering

red-goldhair was allhe neededtosee toknow thathisearlier guesshad been

correct.ItwasindeedMaraJadewho'dbeenchasinghim.

Forapairofheartbeatshestayedwherehewas,tornbetweentheneedforhaste

andtheneedtosatisfyhisinternalsenseofethics.HeandArtoohadtogetoutof

herewithallpossiblespeed;thatmuchwasobvious.Butifheturnedhisbackon

Maranow,withoutevenpausingtocheckhercondition...

HismindflashedbacktoCoruscant,tothenightBenKenobihadsaidhisfinal

farewells.Inotherwords,he'dtoldThreepiolaterupontheroof,aJedican'tget

socaughtupinmattersofgalacticimportancethatitinterfereswithhisconcern

forindividualpeople.Anditwould,afterall,onlytakeaminute.Steppinginto

theroom,helookedaroundtheseatback.

Directly into a pair of wide-open, perfectly conscious green eyes. Green eyes

thatstaredathimoverthebarrelofatinyblaster.

"Ifiguredyou'dcome,"shesaid,hervoicegrimlysatisfied."Backup.Now."

Hedidasordered."Areyouhurtatall?"heasked.

"None of your business," she retorted. She climbed out of the seat, pulling a

smallflatcasefromunderthechairwithherfreehandasshestoodup.Another

glittercaughthiseye:shewasagainwearinghislightsaberonherbelt."There's

acaseinthatcompartmentjustovertheexithatch,"shetoldhim."Getit."

Hefoundthereleaseandgotthecompartmentopen.Insidewasanunfamiliarly

labeledmetalcasewiththeveryfamiliarlookofasurvivalkittoit."Ihopewe're

notgoingtohavetowalkthewholewayback,"

hecommented,pullingthebagoutanddroppingoutthehatchway.

"Iwon't,"shecountered.Sheseemedtohesitate,justalittle,beforefollowing

himdowntotheground.

"Whetheryoumakethetripbackatallisanotherquestion."

He locked gazes with her. "Finishing what you started with this?" he asked,

noddingathiswreckedship.

Shesnorted."Listen,buddyboy,itwasyouwhotookusdown,notme.Myonly

mistakewasbeingstupidenoughtobesittingtooclosetoyourtailwhenyouhit

thetrees.Putthebagdownandgetthatdroidoutofthere."

Lukedidashewastold.Bythe timeArtoowas downbesidehim shehadthe

survivalkit'slidopenandwasfiddlingone-handedwithsomethinginside."Just

stayrightthere,"shetoldhim."AndkeepyourhandswhereIcanseethem."

Shepaused,cockingherheadslightlytothesideasiflistening.Amomentlater,

inthedistance,Lukecouldhearthefaintsoundofanapproachingship."Sounds

likeourridebackisalreadyontheway,"

Marasaid."Iwantyouandthedroid—"Shestoppedinmidsentence,hereyes

going strangely unfocused, her throat tight with concentration. Luke frowned,

eyesandearssearchingfortheproblem...

Abruptly,sheslammedthesurvivalkitlidshutandscoopeditup."Move!"she

snapped, gesturing away from the wrecked fighters.Withherblasterhand she

picked up the flat box she'd been carrying and wedged it under her left arm.

"Intothetrees—bothofyou.Isaidmove!"

Therewassomethinginhervoice—command,orurgency,orboth—thatstifled

argumentor evenquestion.Within ahandful ofsecondsLuke andArtoo were

undercoverofthenearesttrees."Fartherin,"sheordered."Comeon,moveit."

Belatedly,itoccurredtoLukethatthismightallbesomemacabrejoke—thatall

Marareallywantedwastoshoothiminthebackandbeabletoclaimafterward

thathe'dbeenrunningaway.Butshewasrightbehindhim,closeenoughthathe

couldhearherbreathingandoccasionallyfeelthetipofherblasterasitbrushed

hisback.Theymadeitperhapstenmetersfartherin—Lukeleaneddowntohelp

Artoo across a particularly wide root— "Far enough," Mara hissed in his ear.

"Hidethedroidandthenhitdirt."

LukegotArtooovertherootandbehindatree...andashedroppeddownbeside

Mara,hesuddenlyunderstood.

Hanging in midair over the wrecked fighters, rotating slowly like a hovering

raptorsearchingforprey,wasanImperialshuttle.

A small motion caught the corner of his eye, and he turned his head to look

directly into the muzzle of Mara's blaster. "Not a move," she whispered, her

breathwarmonhischeek."Notasound."

He nodded understanding and turned back to watch the shuttle. Mara slid her

armoverhisshoulders,pressedherblasterintothehingeofhisjaw,anddidthe

same.

Theshuttlefinisheditscircleandsettledgingerlytothetorn-upgroundbetween

theruinedfighters.Evenbeforeitwascompletelydown,therampdroppedand

begandisgorgingstormtroopers.

Luke watched as they split up and headed off to search the two ships, the

strangeness of the whole situation adding an unreal tinge to the scene. There,

lessthantwentymetersaway,wasMara'sgoldenopportunitytoturnhimoverto

theImperials...andyet,heretheybothlay,hidingbehindatreerootandtrying

nottobreathetooloudly.Hadshesuddenlychangedhermind?

Orwasitsimplythatshedidn'twantanywitnessesnearbywhenshekilledhim?

Inwhichcase,Lukerealizedabruptly,hisbestchancemightactuallybetofind

some way of surrendering to the stormtroopers. Once away from this planet,

withtheForceashisallyagain,hewouldatleasthaveafightingchance.Ifhe

couldjustfindawaytodistractMaralongenoughtogetridofherblaster...

Lyingpressedagainsthisside,herarmslungacrosshisshoulders,shemusthave

sensedthesudden tensing of muscles."Whateveryou're thinking abouttrying,

don't,"shebreathedinhisear,diggingherblasteralittleharderintohisskin."I

caneasilyclaimyouwereholdingmeprisonerout hereandthatI managedto

snatchtheblasterawayfromyou."

Lukeswallowed,andsettledintowait.

The wait wasn't very long. Two groups of stormtroopers disappeared into the

fighters, while the rest walked around the edge of the newly created clearing,

probingwitheyesandportablesensorsintotheforest.Afterafewminutesthose

inside the fighters emerged, and what seemed to be a short meeting was held

betweenthematthebaseoftheshuttleramp.Ataninaudiblecommandtheouter

ringofsearcherscamebackintojointhem,andthewholecrowdtroopedinto

theirship.Therampsealed,andtheshuttledisappearedoncemoreintothesky,

leavingnothingbutthehumofitsrepulsorliftsbehind.Aminutelater,eventhat

wasgone.

Lukegothishandsunderhim,startedtogetup."Well—"

Hebrokeoffatanotherjaboftheblaster."Quiet,"Maramuttered."They'llhave

leftasensorbehind,justincasesomeonecomesback."

Lukefrowned."Howdoyouknow?"

"Because that's standard stormtrooper procedure in a case like this," she

growled."Realquiet, now;weget upandgrab somemoredistance.Andkeep

thedroidquiet,too."

Theywerecompletelyoutofsightofthewreckedfighters,andprobablyanother

fiftymeterspastthat,beforeshecalledahalt."Whatnow?"Lukeasked.

"Wesitdown,"shetoldhim.

Lukenoddedandeasedtotheground."Thankyoufornotturningmeintothe

stormtroopers."

"Saveit,"shesaidshortly,sittingdowncarefullyherselfandlayingherblaster

onthegroundbesideher.

"Don't worry, there wasn't anything altruistic about it. The incoming shuttles

musthaveseenusandsentagroupovertoinvestigate.Karrde'sgoingtohaveto

spinthem somesortofsugarstory aboutwhathappened,andIcan'tjust walk

intotheirarmsuntilIknowwhatthatstoryis."Shesetthesmallflatboxonher

lapandopenedit.

"Youcouldcallhim,"Lukeremindedher.

"IcouldalsocalltheImperialsdirectlyandsavemyselfsometime,"sheretorted.

"Unless you don't think they'vegottheequipmentto monitor anything I send.

Nowshutup;I'vegotworktodo."

For a few minutes she worked at the flat box in silence, fiddling with a tiny

keyboard and frowning at something Luke couldn't see from his angle. At

irregular intervals she looked up, apparently to make sure he wasn't trying

anything. Luke waited; and abruptly she grunted in satisfaction. "Three days,"

shesaidaloud,closingthebox.

"Threedaystowhat?"Lukeasked.

"The edge of the forest," she told him, gazing at him with unblinking eyes.

"Civilization.Well,HyllyardCity,anyway,whichisaboutascloseasthispart

oftheplanetgetstoit."

"Andhowmanyofuswillbegoingthere?"Lukeaskedquietly.

"That's the question, isn'tit?"sheagreed,hertoneicy. "Can you give me any

reasonwhyIshouldbothertakingyoualong?"

"Sure."Lukeinclinedhisheadtotheside."Artoo."

"Don't be absurd." Her eyes flicked to the droid, back at Luke, "Whatever

happens,thedroidstayshere.Inpieces."

Lukestaredather."Inpieces?"

"What,youneeditspelledout?"sheretorted."Thedroidknowstoomuch.We

can'tleaveithereforthestormtrooperstofind."

"Knowstoomuchaboutwhat?"

"You, of course. You, Karrde, me—this whole stupid mess." Artoo moaned

softly."Hewon'ttellthemanything,"Lukeinsisted.

"Notafterit'sinpieces,no,"Maraagreed.

With an effort, Luke forced himself to calm down. Logic, not fervor, was the

onlywaytochangehermind."Weneedhim,"hetoldher."Youtoldmeyourself

theforestwasdangerous.Artoohassensorsthatcanspotpredatorsbeforethey

getcloseenoughtostrike."

"Maybe;maybenot," shecountered."The vegetationherelimits sensorranges

downtopracticallyzero."

"It'llstillbebetterthanyouorIcoulddo,"Lukesaid."Andhe'llalsobeableto

watchwhilewe'resleeping."

Sheraisedhereyebrowsslightly."We?"

"We,"Lukesaid."Idon'tthinkhe'llbewillingtoprotectyouunlessI'malong."

Mara shook her head. "No good," she said, picking up her blaster. "I can get

alongwithouthim.AndIcertainlydon'tneedyou."

Lukefelthisthroattighten."Areyousureyou'renotlettingyouremotionsgetin

thewayofyourjudgment?"heasked.

Hehadn'tthoughthereyescouldgetanyharderthantheyalreadywere.Hewas

wrong."Letmetellyousomething,Skywalker,"shesaidinavoicealmosttoo

softfor himtohear. "I'vewanted to killyou foralong time.I dreamedabout

yourdeatheverynightformostofthatfirstyear.Dreamedit,plottedit—Imust

haverunthroughathousandscenarios,tryingtofindexactlytherightwaytodo

it.Youcancallitacloudonmyjudgmentifyouwantto;I'musedtoitbynow.

It'stheclosestthingI'vegotapermanentcompanion."

Luke looked back into those eyes, shaken right down to the core of his soul.

"WhatdidIdotoyou?"hewhispered.

"Youdestroyedmylife,"shesaidbitterly."It'sonlyfairthatIdestroyyours."

"Willkillingmebringyouroldlifeback?"

"Youknowbetterthanthat,"shesaid,hervoicetremblingslightly."Butit'sstill

somethingIhavetodo.

Formyself,andfor—"Shebrokeoff.

"WhataboutKarrde?"Lukeasked."Whatabouthim?"

"Ithoughthestillwantedmekeptalive."

Shesnorted."Weallwantthingswecan'thave."

Butforjustasecond,therewassomethinginhereyes.Somethingelsethathad

flickeredthroughthehatred...

Butwhateveritwas,itwasn'tenough."IalmostwishIcoulddragitoutalittle

more,"shesaid,glaciallycalmagainassheliftedtheblaster."ButIdon'thave

thetimetospare."

Luke stared at the muzzle of her blaster, his mind frantically searching for

inspiration..."Waitaminute,"

he said suddenly. "You said you needed to find out what Karrde had told the

Imperials.WhatifIcouldgetyouasecurecommchanneltohim?"

Themuzzleoftheblasterwavered."How?"sheaskedsuspiciously.

Luke nodded toward her survival kit. "Does the communicator in there have

enough range to reach back to the base? I mean, without satellite boosting or

anything."

Shewasstilllookingsuspicious."There'sasondeballoonincludedthatcantake

the antenna high enough to get past most of the forest damping. But it's

nondirectional, which means the Imperials and anyone else in this hemisphere

willbeabletolistenin."

"That'sokay,"Lukesaid."Icanencryptitsothatnooneelsewillbeabletoget

anythingoutofit.Orrather,Artoocan."

Mara smiledthinly. "Wonderful. Except foroneminor detail: if theencryptis

thatgood,howisKarrdesupposedtodecryptit?"

"Hewon'thaveto,"Luketoldher."ThecomputerinmyX-wingwilldoitfor

him."

Thethinsmilevanished fromMara'sface."You'restalling,"she snarled."You

can'tdoacounterpartencryptbetweenanastromechdroidandashipcomputer."

"Whynot?Artoo'stheonlydroidwho'sworkedwiththatcomputerinmorethan

fiveyears,withclosetothreethousandhoursofflighttime.He'sboundtohave

molded it to his own personality by now. In fact, I know he has—the ground

maintenancepeoplehavetorundiagnosticsthroughhimtomakeanysenseout

ofthem."

"Ithoughtstandardprocedurewastowipeandreloaddroidmemorieseverysix

monthstokeepthatfromhappening."

"I like Artoo the way he is," Luke said. "And he and the X-wing work better

togetherthisway."

"Howmuchbetter?"

Lukesearchedhismemory.Maintenancehadrunthattestjustafewmonthsago.

"Idon'tremembertheexactnumber.Itwassomethinglikethirtypercentfaster

thanabaselineastromech/X-winginterface.

Maybethirty-five."

Marawasstaring hard atArtoo. "That's counterpart-levelspeed, all right,"she

agreedreluctantly."TheImperialscouldstillcrackit,though."

"Eventually. But it would take some specialized equipment to do it. And you

saidyourselfwe'dbeoutofhereinthreedays."

Foralongminuteshestaredathim,herjawtightwithclenchedteeth,herfacea

mirroroffiercelybattlingemotions.Bitterness,hatred,desireforsurvival...and

somethingelse.SomethingthatLukecouldalmostbelievemightbeatouchof

loyalty."Yourship'ssittingallaloneoutintheforest,"shegrowledatlast."How

areyougoingtogetthemessagebacktoKarrde?"

"Someone'sboundtocheckontheshipeventually,"hepointedout."Allwehave

todoisdumpthemessageintostorageandleavesomekindofsignalflashing

thatit'sthere.Youhavepeoplewhoknowhowtopulladump,don'tyou?"

"Anyidiotknowshowtopulladump."Maraglaredathim."Funny,isn'tit,how

thisschemejusthappenstorequirethatIkeepbothofyoualiveawhilelonger."

Luke remained silent, meeting that bitter gaze without flinching... and then,

abruptly, Mara's internal battle seemed to end. "What about the droid?" she

demanded."It'lltakeforevertogetitacrossthisterrain."

"Artoo's made it through forests before. However..." Luke looked around,

spottedatreewithtwolowbranchesjusttherightsize."Ishouldbeabletorig

up a dragging frame to carry him on—a travois, or something like that." He

startedtogetup."Ifyou'llgivememylightsaberforaminuteIcancutacouple

ofthosebranchesoff."

"Sitdown,"sheordered,standingup."I'lldoit."

Well,ithadbeenworthatry."Thosetwo,"hetoldher,pointing."Becareful—

lightsabersaretrickytohandle."

"Yourconcernformywelfareistouching,"shesaid,hervoicedrippingsarcasm.

Shedrewthelightsaberandsteppedovertotheindicatedtree,keepinganeyeon

Luke thewholetime. She raised theweapon,ignited it— And in ahandfulof

quick,sureswipestrimmed,shortened,andcutthebranchesfromthetree.

She closed down the weapon and returned it to her belt in a single smooth

motion."Helpyourself,"shesaid,movingaway.

"Right," Luke said mechanically, his mind tingling with astonishment as he

stumbledovertocollectthebranches.Thewayshe'ddonethat..."You'veuseda

lightsaberbefore."

Shegazedathimcoldly."JustsoyouknowIcanhandleit.Incaseyoushould

feeltemptedtotryandmakeagrabformyblaster."Sheglancedupwardatthe

darkeningsky."Comeon—getbusywiththattravois.We'llneedtofindsome

kindofclearingtoputthesondeballoonup,andIwanttogetthatdonebefore

nightfall."

Chapter24

"Imustapologizeforchasingyououtlikethat,"KarrdesaidashewalkedHan

towardthecentralbuilding."Particularlyinthemiddleofameal.Notexactlythe

sortofhospitalitywestriveforhere."

"Noproblem,"Hantoldhim,eyeinghimasbesthecouldinthegatheringdusk.

ThelightfromthebuildingaheadwascastingafaintglowonKarrde'sface;with

luck,itwould be enoughtoread the other'sexpressionby. "What wasthatall

about,anyway?"

"Nothingserious,"Karrdeassuredhimeasily."SomepeoplewithwhomI'vehad

businessdealingswantedtocomeandlooktheplaceover."

"Ah,"Hansaid."Soyou'reworkingdirectlyfortheEmpirenow?"

Karrde'sexpressioncracked,justalittle.Hanexpectedhimtomakesomesortof

reflexive denial; instead, he stopped and turned to look at Lando and Ghent,

walkingbehindthem."Ghent?"heaskedmildly.

"I'msorry,sir,"thekidsaid,soundingmiserable."Theyinsistedoncomingout

toseewhatwashappening."

"I see." Karrde looked back at Han, his face calm again. "No harm done,

probably.Notthewisestofriskstotake,though."

"I'musedtotakingrisks,"Hantoldhim."Youhaven'tansweredmyquestion."

Karrderesumedwalking."IfI'mnotinterestedinworkingfortheRepublic,I'm

certainly not interested in working for the Empire. The Imperials have been

cominghereforthepastfewweekstocollectysalamiri—sessilecreatures,like

the ones hanging onto the tree in the greatroom. I offered my assistance in

helpingthemsafelyremovetheysalamirifromtheirtrees."

"Whatdidyougetinreturn?"

"Theprivilegeofwatchingthemwork,"Karrdesaid."Givingmethatmuchextra

informationtotrytofigureoutwhattheywantedwiththethings."

"Andwhatdidtheywantwiththem?"

Karrde glanced at Han. "Information costs money here, Solo. Actually, to be

perfectly honest, we don't know what they're up to. We're working on it,

though."

"Isee.Butyoudoknowtheircommanderpersonally."

Karrdesmiledfaintly."That'sinformationagain."

Han was starting to get sick of this. "Have it your way. What'll this Grand

Admiral'snamecostme?"

"Forthemoment,thename'snotforsale,"hetoldHan."Perhapswe'lltalkabout

itlater."

"Thanks,butIdon'tthinkthere'sgoingtobealater,"Hangrowled,stopping."If

youdon'tmind,we'lljustsayourgoodbyeshereandgetbacktotheship."

Karrde turnedtohimin mild surprise. "You're not going to finishourdinner?

Youhardlyhadachancetogetstarted."

Hanlookedhimstraightintheeye."Idon'tespeciallylikesittingontheground

likea practice targetwhen therearestormtroopers wanderingaround," he said

bluntly.

Karrde'sfacehardened. "At themoment,sitting on thegroundis preferable to

drawingattentionintheair,"hesaidcoldly."TheStarDestroyerhasn'tleftorbit

yet.Liftingoffnowwouldbeanopeninvitationforthemtoswatyoudown."

"TheFalcon'soutrunStarDestroyersbefore,"Hancountered.ButKarrdehada

point...andthefactthathehadn'tturnedthetwoofthemovertotheImperials

probablymeantthathecouldbetrusted,atleastfornow.Probably.

Ontheotherhand,iftheydidstay..."ButIsupposeitwouldn'thurtustostick

aroundalittlelonger,"heconceded."Allright,sure,we'llfinishdinner."

"Good," Karrde said. "It will just take a few minutes to get things put back

together."

"Youtookeverythingapart?"Landoasked.

"Everythingthatmighthaveindicatedwehadguests,"Karrdesaid."TheGrand

Admiralishighlyobservant,andIwouldn'thaveputitpasthimtoknowexactly

howmanyofmyassociatesarestayinghereatthemoment."

"Well, while you're getting things ready," Han said, "I want to go backto the

shipandcheckonacoupleofthings."

Karrde'seyesnarrowedslightly."Butyouwillbeback."

Hangavehimaninnocentsmile."Trustme."

Karrde gazed at him a moment longer, then shrugged. "Very well. Watch

yourselves,though.Thelocalpredatorsdon'tnormallycomethiscloseintoour

encampment,butthereareexceptions."

"We'llbecareful,"Hanpromised."Comeon,Lando."

Theyheadedbackthewaythey'dcome."Sowhatdidweforgettodobackatthe

Falcon?"Landoaskedquietlyastheyreachedthetrees.

"Nothing,"Hanmurmuredback."Ijustthoughtit'dbeagoodtimetogocheck

out Karrde's storage sheds. Particularly the one that was supposed to have a

prisonerinit."

Theywentaboutfivemetersintotheforest,thenchangeddirectiontocirclethe

compound.Aquarterofthewayaroundthecircle,theyfoundalikelylooking

groupofsmallbuildings.

"Look for a door with a lock," Lando suggested as they came out among the

sheds."Eitherpermanentortemporary."

"Right."Hanpeeredthroughthe darkness."Thatoneoverthere—theonewith

twodoors?"

"Couldbe,"Landoagreed."Let'stakealook."

Theleft-mostofthetwodoorsdidindeedhavealock.Or,rather,ithadhada

lock."It'sbeenshotoff,"

Landosaid,pokingatitwithafinger."Strange."

"Maybe the prisoner had friends," Han suggested, glancing around. There was

nooneelseinsight."Let'sgoinside."

Theyslidthedooropenandwentin,closingitbehindthembeforeturningonthe

light.Theshedwaslessthanhalffull,withmostoftheboxespiledagainstthe

right-handwall.Theexceptionstothatrule...

Han stepped over for a closer look. "Well, well," he murmured, gazing at the

removedpower outletplateand thewires pokingthrough thegap."Someone's

beenbusyoverhere."

"Someone's been even busier over here," Landocommented from behind him.

"Comehavealook."

Landowascroucheddownbeside thedoor,peering intotheinsideofthedoor

lockmechanism.Liketheoutside,halfofitscoveringplatehadbeenblastedoff.

"Thatmusthavebeenonebeautofashot,"

Hanfrowned,comingover.

"Itwasn'tasingleshot,"Landosaid,shakinghishead."Thestuffinbetweenis

mostlyintact."Hepushedbackthecoveralittle,pokingattheelectronicsinside

with his fingers. "Looks like our mysterious prisoner was tampering with the

equipment."

"Iwonderhowhegot itopen."Hanglancedbackattheremovedpowerplate.

"I'm going to take a look next door," he told Lando, stepping back to the

entranceandtappingtherelease.

Thedoordidn'topen."Uh-oh,"hemuttered,tryingagain.

"Waitasecond—Iseetheproblem,"Landosaid,fiddlingwithsomethingbehind

theplate."There'sapowersupplybeenhalfsplicedintotheworks..."

Abruptly, the door slid open. "Back in a second," Han told him, and slipped

outside.

Theshed'sright-handroomwasn'tmuchdifferentfromtheotherone.Exceptfor

onething:inthecenter,inaspacethathadveryobviouslybeenclearedforthe

purpose,layanopendroidrestraintcollar.

Han frowned down at it. The collar hadn't been properly put away, or even

closedagain—hardlythewaysomeoneinanorganizationlikeKarrde'swouldbe

expectedtotakecareofcompanyequipment.

Roughly in the center of the collar's open jaws were three faint marks on the

floor.Skidmarks,hedecided,formedbytherestraineddroid'sattemptstomove

orgetfree.

Behindhim,thedoorwhisperedopen.Hanspunaround,blasterinhand—"You

seemtohavegottenlost,"Karrdesaidcalmly.Hiseyesflickedaroundtheroom.

"AndtohavelostGeneralCalrissianalongtheway."

Han lowered the blaster. "You needto tell your people to put their toys away

whenthey'redone,"hesaid,noddinghisheadattheabandonedrestraintcollar.

"Youwereholdingadroidprisoner,too?"

Karrdesmiledthinly."IseeGhentwastalkingoutofturnagain.Amazing,isn't

it,howsomanyexpertslicersknoweverythingaboutcomputersanddroidsand

yetdon'tknowwhentokeeptheirmouthsshut."

"It's also amazinghowsomanyexpertsmugglers don't know when to leave a

messy deal alone," Han shot back. "So what's your Grand Admiral got you

doing?Formalslaving,orjustrandomkidnappings?"

Karrde's eyes flashed. "I don't deal in slaves, Solo. Slaves or kidnapping.

Never."

"Whatwasthisone,then?Anaccident?"

"I didn't ask for him to come into my life," Karrde countered. "Nor did I

especiallywanthimthere."

Hansnorted."You'restretching,Karrde.What'dhedo,dropinoutoftheskyon

topofyou?"

"Asamatteroffact,that'sverynearlythewayithappened,"Karrdesaidstiffly.

"Oh, well, that's a good reason to lock someone up," Han said sardonically.

"Whowashe?"

"Thatinformation'snotforsale."

"Maybewedon'tneedtobuyit,"Landosaidfrombehindhim.

Karrdeturned."Ah,"hesaid asLandostepped pasthimintotheroom."There

youare.Exploringtheotherhalfoftheshed,wereyou?"

"Yeah, we don't stay lost very long," Han assured him. "What'd you find,

Lando?"

"This."Landoheldupatinyredcylinderwithapairofwirescomingoutofeach

end."It'samicrelpowersupply—thekindusedforlow-drawapplications.Our

prisonerwireditintothedoorlockcontrolafterthepowerlineshadbeenburned

away—that'showhe gotout."Hemovedita littlecloser."The manufacturer's

logoissmall,butreadable.Recognizeit?"

Han squinted at it. The script was alien, but it seemed vaguely familiar. "I've

seenitbefore,butIdon'trememberwhere."

"Yousawitduringthewar,"Landotoldhim,hisgazesteadyonKarrde."It'sthe

logooftheSibhaHabadeet."

Hanstaredatthetinycylinder,astrangechillrunningthroughhim.TheSibha

Habadeet had been one of the Alliance's major suppliers of micrel equipment.

Andtheirspecialtyhadbeen—"That'sabioelectronicpowersupply?"

"That'sright,"Landosaidgrimly."Justlikethekindthatwouldhavebeenputin,

say,anartificialhand."

Slowly,themuzzleofHan'sblastercameupagaintopointatKarrde'sstomach.

"Therewasadroidinhere,"hetoldLando."Theskidmarksonthefloorlook

justabout right foran R2 unit."He raised hiseyebrows. "Feelfreeto jointhe

conversationanytime,Karrde."

Karrdesighed,hisfaceamixtureofannoyanceandresignation."Whatdoyou

wantmetosay?—thatLukeSkywalkerwasaprisonerhere?Allright—consider

itsaid."

Han felt his jaw tighten. And he and Lando had been right here. Blissfully

unaware..."Whereishenow?"

hedemanded.

"IthoughtGhentwouldhavetoldyou,"Karrdesaiddarkly."Heescapedinone

ofmySkiprayblastboats."Hislipstwisted."Crashingitintheprocess."

"Hewhat?"

"He'sallright,"Karrdeassuredhim."Oratleasthewasacoupleofhoursago.

Thestormtrooperswhowenttoinvestigatesaidthatbothwrecksweredeserted."

Hiseyesseemedtoflatten,justforaminute."Ihopethatmeansthey'reworking

togethertomaketheirwayout."

"Youdon'tsoundsureofthat,"Hanprompted.

Theeyesflattenedalittlemore."MaraJadewastheonewhowentafterhim.She

hasacertain—well,whymincewords.Inpointoffact,shewantsverymuchto

killhim."

HanthrewastartledglanceatLando."Why?"

Karrdeshookhishead."Idon'tknow."

Foramomenttheroomwassilent."Howdidhegethere?"Landoasked.

"AsIsaid,purelybyaccident,"Karrdesaid."No—Itakethatback.Itwasn'tan

accidentforMara—sheledusdirectlytohiscrippledstarfighter."

"How?"

"Again,Idon'tknow."HefixedHanwithahardlook."Andbeforeyouask,we

hadnothingtodowiththedamagetohisship.He'dburnedoutbothhyperdrive

motivatorstanglingwithoneoftheEmpire'sStarDestroyers.Ifwehadn'tpicked

himup,he'dalmostcertainlybedeadbynow."

"Insteadofroamingaforestwithsomeonewhostillwantshimthatway,"Han

countered."Yeah,you'rearealhero."

The hard look hardened even further. "The Imperials want Skywalker, Solo.

Theywanthimverybadly.

Ifyoulookcarefully,you'llnoticethatIdidn'tgivehimtothem."

"Becauseheescapedfirst."

"Heescapedbecausehewasinthisshed,"Karrderetorted."Andhewasinthis

shed because I didn't want the Imperials stumbling over him during their

unannouncedvisit."

Hepaused."You'llalsonotice,"headdedquietly,"thatIdidn'tturnthetwoof

youovertothem,either."

Slowly, Han lowered the blaster. Anything said at the point of a gun was of

course suspect; but the fact that Karrde had indeed not betrayed them to the

Imperialswasastrongargumentinhisfavor.

Orrather,hehadn'tbetrayedthemyet.Thatcouldalwayschange."Iwanttosee

Luke'sX-wing,"hetoldKarrde.

"Certainly," Karrde said. "I'd recommend not going there until tomorrow

morning,though.Wemoveditsomewhatfartherintotheforestthanyourship;

andtherewillbepredatorsroamingarounditinthedarkness."

Han hesitated, then nodded. If Karrde had something subtle going here, he

almostcertainlywouldhavealreadyerasedoralteredtheX-wing'scomputerlog.

Afewmorehourswouldn'tmakeanydifference.

"Allright.SowhatarewegoingtodoaboutLuke?"

Karrdeshookhishead,hisgazenotquitefocusedonHan."There'snothingwe

candoforthemtonight.

Not with vornskrs roaming the forest and the Grand Admiral still in orbit.

Tomorrow...We'llhavetodiscussit,seewhatwecancomeupwith."Hisfocus

cameback,andwithitaslightlyironicsmile."Inthemeantime,dinnershould

bereadybynow.Ifyou'llfollowme...?"



Thedimlylitholographicartgalleryhadchangedagain,thistimetoacollection

of remarkably similar flame-shaped works that seemed to pulsate and alter in

formasPellaeonmovedcarefullybetweenthepedestals.Hestudiedthemashe

walked, wondering where this batch had come from. "Have you found them,

Captain?"ThrawnaskedasPellaeonreachedthedoubledisplaycircle.

Hebracedhimself."I'mafraidnot,sir.We'dhopedthatwiththearrivaloflocal

nightfall we'd be able to get some results from the infrared sensors. But they

don'tseemabletopenetratethetreecanopy,either."

Thrawn nodded. "What about that pulse transmission we picked up just after

sundown?"

"Wewereabletoconfirmthatitoriginatedfromtheapproximatelocationofthe

crashsite,"Pellaeontoldhim."Butitwastoobriefforapreciselocationcheck.

The encrypt on it is a very strange one—Decrypt thinks it might be a type of

counterpartcoding.They'restillworkingonit."

"They'vetriedalltheknownRebellionencrypts,Ipresume."

"Yes,sir,asperyourorders."

Thrawn nodded thoughtfully. "It looks like we're at something of a stalemate,

then,Captain.Atleastaslongasthey'reintheforest.Haveyoucalculatedtheir

likelyemergencepoints?"

"There's really only one practical choice," Pellaeon said, wondering why they

weremakingsomuchofafussoverthis."AtowncalledHyllyardCity,onthe

edgeoftheforestandalmostdirectlyalongtheirpath.

It's the only population center anywhere for more than a hundred kilometers.

With only the one survival pack between them, they almost have to comeout

there."

"Excellent,"Thrawnnodded."Iwantyoutodetailthreesquadsofstormtroopers

to set up an observation post there. They're to assemble and depart ship

immediately."

Pellaeonblinked."Stormtroopers,sir?"

"Stormtroopers," Thrawn repeated, turning his gaze to one of the flame

sculptures."Betteraddhalfabikerscoutunit,too,andthreeChariotlightassault

vehicles."

"Yes,sir,"Pellaeonsaidcautiously.Stormtrooperswereincriticallyshortsupply

these days. To waste them like this, on something so utterly unimportant as a

smugglersquabble...

"Karrde liedtous, you see," Thrawn continued, as ifreadingPellaeon's mind.

"Whateverthatlittledramawasthisafternoon,itwasnotthecommonpursuitof

acommonthief.I'dliketoknowwhat,infact,itwas."

"I...don'tthinkIfollow,sir."

"It'sverysimple,Captain,"Thrawnsaid,inthattoneofvoicehealwaysseemed

to use when explaining the obvious. "The pilot of the chase vehicle never

reportedinduringthepursuit.NordidanyonefromKarrde'sbasecommunicate

with him. We know that—we'd have intercepted any such transmissions. No

progressreports;noassistancerequests;nothingbutcompleteradiosilence."He

lookedbackatPellaeon."Speculation,Captain?"

"Whateveritwas,"Pellaeonsaidslowly,"itwassomethingtheydidn'twantus

knowing about. Beyond that..." He shook his head. "I don't know, sir. There

couldbeanynumberofthingstheywouldn'twantoutsiderstoknowabout.They

aresmugglers,afterall."

"Agreed."Thrawn'seyesseemedtoglitter."Butnowconsidertheadditionalfact

thatKarrderefusedourinvitationtojoininthesearchforSkywalker...andthe

factthatthisafternoonheimpliedthesearchwasover."Heraisedaneyebrow.

"Whatdoesthatsuggesttoyou,Captain?"

Pellaeonfelthisjawdrop."Youmean...thatwasSkywalkerinthatSkipray?"

"Aninteresting speculation,isn'tit?" Thrawnagreed. "Unlikely,I'll admit.But

likelyenoughtobeworthfollowingupon."

"Yes, sir."Pellaeonglanced at the chrono, didaquickcalculation. "Though if

westayheremorethananotherdayortwo,wemayhavetomovebacktheSluis

Vanattack."

"We're not moving Sluis Van," Thrawn said emphatically. "Our entire victory

campaignagainstthe Rebellionbeginsthere, and I'llnothave so complexand

far-reaching a schedule altered. Not for Skywalker; not for anyone else." He

nodded at the flame statues surrounding them. "Sluissi art clearly indicates a

biannualcyclicpattern,andIwanttohitthemattheirmostsluggishpoint.We'll

leaveforourrendezvouswiththeInexorableandthecloakingshieldtestassoon

as the troops and vehicles have been dropped. Three squads of stormtroopers

shouldbeadequatetohandleSkywalker,ifheisindeedhere."

HiseyesboredintoPellaeon'sface."AndtohandleKarrde,"headdedsoftly,"if

heturnsouttobeatraitor."



Thelastbitsofdarkbluehadfadedfromthetinygapsinthecanopyoverhead,

leavingnothingbutblacknessabovethem.Turningthesurvivalkit'sworklightto

itslowestsetting,Marasetitdownandsankgratefullytothegroundagainsta

large tree bole. Her right ankle, twisted somehow in the Skipray crash, had

startedtoacheagain,anditfeltgoodtogettheweightoffit.

Skywalkerwasalreadystretchedoutacoupleofmetersontheothersideofthe

worklight, his head pillowed on his tunic, his loyal droid standing at his side.

She wondered if he'd guessed about the ankle, dismissed the question as

irrelevant.She'dhadworseinjurieswithoutbeingsloweddownbythem.

"RemindsmeofEndor,"SkywalkersaidquietlyasMaraarrangedherglowrod

and blaster in her lap where they'd be accessible. "A forest always sounds so

busyatnight."

"Oh,it'sbusy,allright,"Maragrunted."Alotoftheanimalsherearenocturnal.

Includingthevornskrs."

"Strange,"hemurmured."Karrde'spetvornskrsseemedwideenoughawakein

lateafternoon."

Shelookedacrossathim,mildlysurprisedhe'dnoticedthat."Actually,evenin

thewildtheytakesmallnapsaroundtheclock,"shesaid."Icallthemnocturnal

becausetheydomostoftheirhuntingatnight."

Skywalkermulledthatoverforamoment."Maybeweoughttotravelatnight,

then,"hesuggested.

"They'llbehuntinguseitherway—atleastthenwe'dbeawakeandalertwhile

theywereontheprowl."

Marashookherhead."It'dbemoretroublethanit'sworth.Weneedtobeableto

seetheterrainasfaraheadofusaspossibleifwe'regoingtoavoidrunninginto

deadends.Besides,thiswholeforestisdottedwithsmallclearings."

"Throughwhichaglowrodbeamwouldshowveryclearlytoanorbitingship,"

heconceded."Point.

Youseemtoknowalotaboutthisplace."

"Itwouldn'ttakemorethananobservantpilotflyingovertheforesttoseethat,"

she growled.Buthewas right, she knew, as she eased back againsttherough

bark.Knowyourterritorywasthefirstrulethathadbeendrilledintoher...and

thefirstthingshe'ddoneafterestablishingherselfinKarrde'sorganization

had been to do precisely that. She'd studied the aerial maps of the forest and

surrounding territory; had taken long walks, in both daylight and at night, to

familiarizeherselfwiththesightsandsounds;hadsoughtoutandkilledseveral

vornskrsandotherpredatorstolearnthefastestwaysoftakingthemdown;had

eventalkedoneofKarrde'speopleintorunningbiotestsonacrateloadofnative

plantstofindoutwhichwereedibleandwhichweren't.Outsidetheforest,she

knewsomethingaboutthesettlers,understoodthelocalpolitics,andhadstashed

asmallbutadequatepartofherearningsoutwhereshecouldgetholdofit.

More than anyone else in Karrde's organization, she was equipped to survive

outsidetheconfines ofhisencampment.Sowhywasshetryingsohardtoget

backthere?

Itwasn'tforKarrde'ssake—thatmuchshewassureof.Allthathe'ddoneforher

—herjob,herposition,herpromotions—she'dmorethanrepaidwithhardwork

and good service. She didn't owe him anything, any more than he owed her.

Whatever the story was he'd concocted this afternoon to explain the Skipray

chasetoThrawn,itwouldhavebeendesignedtoprotecthisownneck,nothers;

andifhesawthattheGrandAdmiralwasn'tbuyingit,hewasatperfectliberty

topullhisgroupoffMyrkrtonightanddisappeardownoneoftheotherratholes

hehadscatteredthroughoutthegalaxy.

Exceptthathewouldn't.Hewouldsitthere,sendingoutsearchpartyaftersearch

party,andwaitforMaratocomeoutoftheforest.Evenifsheneverdid.

EvenifbydoingsoheoverstayedThrawn'spatience.

Maraclenchedher teeth, the unpleasantimageof Karrde pinnedagainsta cell

wallbyan interrogationdroiddancing infrontof hereyes.Because she knew

Thrawn—knewtheGrandAdmiral'stenacityandthelimitsofhispatienceboth.

Hewouldwaitandwatch,orsetsomeonetodoitforhim,andfollowthroughon

Karrde'sstory.

And if neither she nor Skywalker ever reappeared from the forest, he would

almost certainly jump to the wrong conclusion. At which point he would take

Karrde in for a professional Imperial interrogation, and eventually would find

outwhotheescapingprisonerhadbeen.

Andthenhe'dhaveKarrdeputtodeath.

Across from her, the droid'sdome rotated a few degrees and it gave a quietly

insistentgurgle."IthinkArtoo'spickedupsomething,"Skywalkersaid,hiking

himselfuponhiselbows.

"Nokidding,"Marasaid.Shepickedupherglowrod,pointeditattheshadow

she'dalreadyseenmovingstealthilytowardthem,andflickediton.

Avornskrstoodframedinthecircleoflight,itsfrontclawsdugintotheground,

its whip tail pointed stiffly back and waving slowly up and down. It paid no

attentiontothelight,butcontinuedmovingslowlytowardSkywalker.

Maraletitgetanothertwopaces,thenshotitneatlythroughthehead.

The beast collapsed to the ground, its tail giving one last spasmodic twitch

before doing likewise. Mara gave the rest of the area a quick sweep with the

glowrod,thenflickeditoff."Awfullygoodthingwehaveyourdroid'ssensors

along,"shesaidsarcasticallyintotherelativedarkness.

"Well, I wouldn't have known there was any danger without him," Skywalker

camebackwryly."Thankyou."

"Forgetit,"shegrunted.

There was a short silence. "Are Karrde's pet vornskrs a different species?"

Skywalkerasked."Ordidhehavetheirtailsremoved?"

Marapeered acrossthegloomathim,impressedin spiteof herself.Mostmen

staring down a vornskr's gullet wouldn't have noticed a detail like that. "The

latter,"shetoldhim."Theyusethosetailsaswhips—prettypainful,andthere'sa

mildpoisoninthem,too.AtfirstitwasjustthatKarrdedidn'twanthispeople

walkingaroundwithwhipweltsalloverthem;wefoundoutlaterthatremoving

thetailsalsokillsalotoftheirnormalhuntingaggression."

"Theyseemedprettydomestic,"heagreed."Evenfriendly."

Only they hadn't been friendly to Skywalker, she remembered. And here, the

vornskrhadignoredherandgonedirectlyforhim.Coincidence?"Theyare,"she

said aloud. "He's thought occasionally about offering them for sale as guard

animals.Nevergottenaroundtoexploringthepotentialmarket."

"Well, you can tell him I'd be glad to serve as a reference," Skywalker said

dryly. "Having looked a vornskr square in the teeth, I can tell you it's not

somethingtheaverageintruderwouldliketodotwice."

Herliptwisted."Getusedtoit,"sheadvisedhim."It'salongwaytotheedgeof

theforest."

"I know." Skywalker lay back down again. "Fortunately, you seem to be an

excellentshot."

Hefellsilent.Gettingreadytosleep...andprobablyassumingshewasgoingto

dothesame.

Wish away, she thought sardonically at him. Reaching into her pocket, she

pulledoutthesurvivalkit'stubeofstimpills.Asteadystreamofthethingscould

ruin one's health in short order, but going to sleep five meters away from an

enemywouldruinitalotfaster.

She paused, tube in hand, and frowned at Skywalker. At his closed eyes and

calm, apparently totally unworried face. Which seemed strange, because if

anyonehadeverhadreasontobeworried,itwashe.

StrippedofallhisvauntedJedipowersbyaplanetfulofysalamiri,trappedina

foreston aworld whosename andlocation hedidn't evenknow, withher, the

Imperials,andthevornskrsliningupfortheprivilegeofkillinghim—heshould

byrightsbewide-eyedwithpumpingadrenalinebynow.

Maybehewasjustfakingit,hopingshewouldlowerherguard.Itwasprobably

somethingshewouldtry,underreversedcircumstances.

Butthen,maybetherewasmoretohimthanmettheeye.Morethanjustafamily

name,apoliticalposition,andabagofJeditricks.

Her mouth tightened, and she ran her fingers along the side of the lightsaber

hanging from her belt. Yes, of course there was more there. Whatever had

happened at the end—at that terrible, confused, life-destroying end—it hadn't

beenhisJeditricksthathadsavedhim.Ithadbeensomethingelse.

Somethingshewouldmakesuretofindoutfromhimbeforehisownendcame.

She thumbed a stimpill from the tube and swallowed it, a fresh determination

surging through herasshedidso. No, the vornskrs weren't going to get Luke

Skywalker.AndneitherweretheImperials.Whenthetimecame,shewouldkill

himherself.Itwasherright,andherprivilege,andherduty.

Shiftingtoamorecomfortablepositionagainsthertree,shesettledintowaitout

thenight.



Thenighttimesoundsoftheforestcamefaintlyfromthedistance,mixedinwith

thefaintsoundsofcivilizationfromthebuildingathisback.Karrdesippedathis

cup,gazingintothedarkness,feelingfatiguetuggingathimashe'dseldomfeltit

before.

Inasingleday,hiswholelifehadjustbeenturnedover.

Besidehim,Drangraisedhisheadandturnedittotheright."Company?"Karrde

asked him, looking in that direction. A shadowy figure, hardly visible in the

starlight,wasmovingtowardhim."Karrde?"Aves'svoicecalledsoftly.

"Overhere,"Karrdetoldhim."Gogetachairandjoinme."

"Thisisokay,"Avessaid,comingoverbesidehimandsittingdowncross-legged

ontheground."I'vegottogetbacktoCentralprettysoon,anyway."

"Themysterymessage?"

"Yeah.WhatintheworldswasMarathinkingof?"

"Idon'tknow,"Karrdeadmitted."Somethingclever,though."

"Probably," Aves conceded. "I just hope we're going to be clever enough to

decryptit."

Karrdenodded."DidSoloandCalrissiangetbeddeddownallright?"

"Theywentbacktotheirship,"Avessaid,hisvoicescowling."Idon'tthinkthey

trustus."

"Underthecircumstances,youcanhardlyblamethem."Karrdereacheddownto

scratchDrang'shead.

"Maybe pulling Skywalker's computer logs tomorrow morning will help

convincethemwe'reontheirside."

"Yeah.Arewe?"

Karrdepursedhislips."Wedon'treallyhaveachoiceanymore,Aves.They're

ourguests."

Avesumphed."TheGrandAdmiralisn'tgoingtobehappy."

Karrdeshrugged."They'reourguests,"herepeated.

In the darkness, he sensed Aves shrug back. He understood, Aves did—

understood the requirements and duties of a host. Unlike Mara, who'd wanted

himtosendtheMillenniumFalconaway.

Hewishednowthathe'dlistenedtoher.Wisheditverymuchindeed.

"I'llwantyoutoorganizeasearchpartyfortomorrowmorning,"hetoldAves.

"Probablyfutile,allthingsconsidered,butithastobetried."

"Right.DowedefertotheImperialsinthatregard?"

Karrdegrimacedtohimself."Idoubtifthey'llbedoinganymoresearching.That

shipthatsneakedoutfromtheStarDestroyeranhouragolookedsuspiciously

likeastripped-downassaultshuttle.Myguessisthatthey'llsetupinHyllyard

CityandwaitforMaraandSkywalkertocometothem."

"Soundsreasonable,"Avessaid."Whatifwedon'tgettothemfirst?"

"We'lljusthavetotakethemawayfromthestormtroopers,Isuppose.Thinkyou

canputateamtogetherforthepurpose?"

Aves snorted gently. "Easier done than said. I've sat in on a couple of

conversationssinceyoumadetheannouncement,andIcantellyouthatfeelings

in camp are running pretty strong. Hero of the Rebellion and all that aside, a

bunch of our people figure they owe Skywalker big for getting them out of

permanenthocktoJabbatheHutt."

"I know," Karrde said grimly. "And all that warm enthusiasm could be a

problem.Becauseifwecan'tgetSkywalkerfreefromtheImperials...well,we

can'tletthemhavehimalive."

Therewasalongsilencefromtheshadowbesidehim."Isee,"Avessaidatlast,

veryquietly."Itprobablywon'tmakeanydifference,youknow,inwhatThrawn

suspects."

"Suspicionisbetterthanunequivocalproof,"Karrderemindedhim."Andifwe

can'tinterceptthemwhilethey'restillintheforest,itmaybethebestwe'regoing

toget."

Avesshookhishead."Idon'tlikeit."

"NeitherdoI.Butweneedtobepreparedforeveryeventuality."

"Understood." For another moment Aves sat there in silence. Then, with a

gruntedsigh,hestoodup."I'dbettergetback,seeifGhent'smadeanyprogress

onMara'smessage."

"Andafterthatyou'dbetterhitthesack,"Karrdetoldhim."Tomorrow'sgoingto

beabusyday."

"Right.Goodnight."

Avesleft,andonceagain thesoftmixtureofforest soundsfilledthenightair.

Soundsthatmeantagreatdealtothecreatureswhomadethembutnothingatall

tohim.

Meaninglesssounds...

Heshook his headtiredly. Whathad Mara beentrying todowith thatopaque

messageofhers?Wasitsomethingsimple—somethingthatheorsomeoneelse

hereoughttobeabletodecryptwithease?

Or hadthelady who always played thesabacccards close to her chestfinally

outsmartedherself?

In the distance, a vornskr emitted its distinctive cackle/purr. Beside his chair,

Drangliftedhishead.

"Friendofyours?"Karrdeinquiredmildly,listeningasanothervornskrechoed

thefirst'scry.SturmandDranghadbeenwildlikethatonce,beforethey'dbeen

domesticated.

JustlikeMarahadbeen,whenhe'dfirsttakenherin.Hewonderedifshewould

everbesimilarlytamed.

WonderedifshewouldsolvethiswholeproblembykillingSkywalkerfirst.

The cackle/purr came again, closer this time. "Come on, Drang," he told the

vornskr,gettingtohisfeet.

"Timetogoinside."

Hepausedatthedoortotakeonelastlookattheforest,ashiverofmelancholy

and something that felt disturbingly like fear running through him. No, the

GrandAdmiralwasn'tgoingtobehappyaboutthis.

Wasn'tgoingtobehappyatall.

Andonewayortheother,Karrdeknewthathislifeherewasatanend.

Chapter25

The room was quiet and dark, the faint nighttime sounds of Rwookrrorro

floatinginthroughthemeshwindowwiththecoolnightbreeze.Staringatthe

curtains,Leiagripped herblasterwith asweatyhand, and wonderedwhat had

awakenedher.

She lay there for several minutes, heart thudding in her chest. But there was

nothing.Nosounds,nomovements,nothreatsthatherlimitedJedisensescould

detect. Nothing but a creepy feeling in the back of her mind that she was no

longersafe here.She tooka deepbreath, letitoutsilentlyas shecontinuedto

listen.Itwasn'tanyfaultofherhosts,oratleastnothingshecouldblamethem

for.Thecity'sleadershadbeenonincrediblytightalertthefirstcoupleofdays,

providing her with over a dozen Wookiee bodyguards while other volunteers

combed through the city like hairy Imperial Walkers, searching for the alien

she'd spotted that first day here. The whole thing had been carried out with a

speed, efficiency,andthoroughness that Leia had seldomseenevenin the top

ranksoftheRebelAlliance.

Butasthedayspassedwithoutanyonefindingatraceofthealien,thealerthad

graduallysoftened.Bythetimethenegativereportsalsobegancominginfrom

otherKashyyyk cities,thenumber ofsearchers haddwindledto ahandful and

thedozenbodyguardshadbeenreducedtothree.

Andnoweven thosethreeweregone,returningtotheirregular jobsandlives.

LeavingherwithjustChewbacca,Ralrra,andSalporintowatchoverher.

It was a classic strategy. Lying alone in the dark, with the advantage of

hindsight,shecouldseethat.

Sentient beings, human and Wookiee alike, simply could not maintain a

continual state of vigilance when there was no visible enemy to be vigilant

toward.Itwasatendencythey'dhadtofighthardagainstintheAlliance.

As they'd also had to fight against the too-often lethal inertia that seduced a

personintostayingtoolonginoneplace.

Shewinced,memoriesoftheneardisasterontheiceworldofHothcomingback

to haunt her. She and Chewbacca should have left Rwookrrorro days ago, she

knew. Probably should have left Kashyyyk entirely, for that matter. The place

had become too comfortable, too familiar—her mind no longer really saw

everythingthatwentonaroundher,butmerelysawsomeofitandfilledinthe

rest from memory. It was the kind of psychological weakness that a clever

enemy could easily exploit, simply by finding a way to fit himself into her

normalroutine.

Itwastimeforthatroutinetobebroken.

Shepeered over atthe bedsidechrono, did aquick calculation.About an hour

until dawn. There was a repulsorlift sled parked just outside; if she and

Chewbaccagotgoingnow,theyshouldbeabletogettheLadyLuckintospacea

little after sunrise. Sitting halfway up, she slid across the bed, set her blaster

downonthenightstand,andpickeduphercomlink.

Andinthedarkness,asinewyhandreachedouttoseizeherwrist.

Therewasnotimetothink;butforthatfirsthalfsecondtherewasnoneed.Even

ashermindfroze,stunnedbytheunexpectednessoftheattack,oldself-defense

reflexeswerealreadyswingingintoaction.

Falling away from her assailant, using the pull on her arm for balance, she

swiveledonherhip,tuckedherrightlegunderher,andkickedoutwithallher

strength.

The edge of her foot thudded against something unyielding—body armor of

somekind.Reachingbackoverhershoulderwithherfreehand,shegrabbedthe

cornerofherpillowandhurleditattheshadowyoutlineofhishead.

Underthepillowwasherlightsaber.

Itwasdoubtfulthatheeversawtheblowcoming.Hewasstillintheprocessof

scooping the pillow away from his face when the ignited lightsaber lit up the

room.Shegotjustaglimpseofhugeblackeyesandprotrudingjawbeforethe

blazingbladeslicedhimalmostinhalf.

Thegriponherarmwasabruptlygone.Closingdownthelightsaber,sherolled

outofbedandbacktoherfeet,ignitingtheweaponagainasshelookedaround

—Andwithasudden,numbingblowtoherwrist,thelightsaberwasknocked

across the room. It shut down in midflight, plunging the room again into

darkness.

Shedroppedinstantlyintocombatstance,butevenasshedidsosheknewitwas

a useless gesture. The first alien had perhaps been lulled by the apparent

helplessness of his victim; the second had obviously learned the lesson. She

hadn't even turned all the way toward the attacker before her wrist was again

capturedand twistedaround behindher. Anotherhand snakedaround tocover

her mouth, at the same time jamming her neck hard against the attacker's

muzzle. One leg twined somehowaroundherknees,blockinganyattemptshe

might maketokick him. She tried anyway, struggling to freeatleastone leg,

whileatthesametimetryingtogetaclearshotatthoseeyeswithherfreehand.

His breath was hot on her neck, andshe could feel the shapes of needle teeth

throughthejawskinpressingagainsther.Thealien'sbodywentabruptlyrigid—

Andsuddenly,withoutanywarningatall,shewasfree.

Shespunaroundtofacethealien,fightingtoregainherbalanceinthesudden

lossofanythingsolidtoleanagainstandwonderingwhatthisnewgamewashe

wasplaying.Hereyessearchedfranticallyinthedimlight,tryingtolocatethe

weaponhewassurelynowbringingtobearonher—Buttherewasnoweapon

pointedather.Thealienjuststoodthere,hisbacktothedoor,hisemptyhands

splayedofftothesidesasifpreparingtoprotecthimselffromabackwardsfall.

"Mal'ary'ush,"hehissed,hisvoicesoftandgravelly.Leiatookastepbackwards,

wonderingifshecouldgettothewindowbeforehelaunchedhisnextattack.

The attack never came. Behind the alien, the door slammed open; and with a

roar,Chewbaccaboiledintotheroom.

Theattackerdidn'tturn.Hemadenomoveatall,infact,astheWookieeleaped

toward him, massive hands reaching for his neck— "Don't kill him!" Leia

snapped.

ThewordsprobablystartledChewbaccaalmostasmuchastheystartledher.But

theWookiee's reflexeswere equalto thetask.Passingupthe alien'sthroat, he

swungahandinsteadtocuffhimsolidlyacrossthesideofthehead.

Theblowsentthealienflyinghalfwayacrosstheroomandupagainstthewall.

Hesliddownandremainedstill.

"Come on," Leia said, rolling across her bed to retrieve her lightsaber. "There

maybemoreofthem."

[Not any morre,] a Wookiee voice rumbled, and she looked up to see Ralrra

leaningagainstthedoorway.[Theotherrthreehavebeendealtwith.]

"Are you sure?" Leia asked, taking a step toward him. He was still leaning

againstthedoorjamb—Leaninghardagainstit,shesuddenlyrealized."You're

hurt," she exclaimed, flicking on the room light and giving him a quick

examination.Therewerenomarksshecouldsee."Blaster?"

[Stun weapon,] he corrected. [A quieterr weapon, but it was set too low forr

Wookiees.Iamonlyalittleweak.Chewbaccaitiswhoiswounded.]

Startled,LeialookedoveratChewbacca...and forthe firsttime sawthe small

patch of matted brown hair midway down his torso. "Chewie!" she breathed,

startingtowardhim.

Hewavedherawaywithanimpatientgrowl.[Heisright,]Ralrraagreed.[We

mustgetyouawayfromherre,beforrethesecondattackcomes.]

FromsomewhereoutsideaWookieebeganhowlinganalert."Therewon'tbea

second attack," she told Ralrra. "They've been noticed—there'll be people

convergingonthishouseinminutes."

[Notonthishouse,]Ralrrarumbled,astrangegrimnesstohisvoice.[Therreisa

firrefourrhousesaway.]

Leia stared at him,achillrunningupherback."Adiversion,"she murmured.

"Theysetahouseonfiretomaskanyalertyoutrytomake."

Chewbaccagrowledanaffirmative.[Wemustgetyouawayfromherre,]Ralrra

repeated,easinghimselfcarefullyupright.

Leia glanced past him through the doorway to the darker hallway beyond, a

strange dread suddenly twisting into her stomach. There had been three

Wookieesinthehousewithher."Where'sSalporin?"sheasked.

Ralrra hesitated, just long enough for her suspicions to become a terrible

certainty.[Hedidnotsurvivetheattack,]theWookieesaid,almosttoosoftlyfor

hertohear.

Leia swallowed hard. "I'm sorry," she said, the words sounding painfully trite

andmeaninglessinherears.

[Asarrewe.Butthetimeforrmourningisnotnow.]

Leianodded,blinkingbacksuddentearsassheturnedtothewindow.She'dlost

manyfriendsandcompanionsinthemidstofbattlethroughtheyears,andshe

knewthatRalrrawasright.Butallthelogicintheuniversedidn'tmakeitany

easier.

Therewerenoaliensvisibleoutside.Buttheywerethere—thatmuchshewas

sureof.BothofthepreviousteamssheandHanhadtangledwithhadconsisted

ofconsiderablymorethanfivemembers,andtherewasnoreasontoexpectthis

onetobeanydifferent.Chanceswerethatanyattempttoescapeoverlandwould

meetwithaquickambush.

Worse,assoonasthehueandcryovertheburninghousereallygotgoing,the

aliens could likely launch a second attack with impunity, counting on the

commotiondownthestreettocoverupanynoisetheymadeintheprocess.

Sheglancedattheburninghouse,feelingabriefpangofguiltfortheWookiees

whoownedit.

Resolutely, she forced the emotion out of her mind. There, too, there was

nothingshecoulddofornow.

"Thealiensseemtowantmealive,"shesaid,droppingtheedgeofthecurtain

andturningbacktoChewbaccaandRalrra."Ifwecangetthesledintothesky,

theyprobablywon'ttrytoshootusdown."

[Doyoutrustthesled?]Ralrraaskedpointedly.

Leiastoppedshort,lipspressedtightlytogetherinannoyancewithherself.No,

of course she didn't trust the sled—the first thing the aliens would have done

wouldhavebeentodisableanyescapevehiclewithinreach.Disableit,orworse:

theycouldhavemodifiedittosimplyflyherdirectlyintotheirarms.

Shecouldn'tstayput;shecouldn'tgosideways;andshecouldn'tgoup.Which

leftexactlyonedirection.

"I'llneedsomerope,"shesaid,scoopingupanarmfulofclothesandstartingto

getdressed."Strongenoughtoholdmyweight.Asmuchasyou'vegot."

They were fast, all right. A quick glance between them— [You cannot be

serious,]Ralrratoldher.[ThedangerrwouldbegreatevenforraWookiee.Forr

ahumanitwouldbesuicide.]

"I don't think so," Leia shook her head, pulling on her boots. "I saw how the

branchestwisttogether,whenwelookedatthebottomofthecity.Itshouldbe

possibleformetoclimbalongbetweenthem."

[You will neverr reach the landing platform alone,] Ralrra objected. [We will

comewithyou.]

"You're in no shape to travel down the street, let alone underneath it," Leia

countered bluntly. She picked up her blaster, bolstered it, and stepped to the

doorway."NeitherisChewbacca.Getoutofmyway,please."

Ralrradidn'tbudge.[Youdonotfoolus,Leiaorrganasolo.Youbelievethatifwe

stayherretheenemywillfollowyouandleaveusinpeace.]

Leia grimaced. So much for the quiet, noble self-sacrifice. "There's a good

chancetheywill,"sheinsisted."It'smetheywant.Andtheywantmealive."

[Therre is no time to argue,] Ralrra said. [We will stay togetherr. Herre, orr

underrthecity.]

Leiatookadeepbreath.Shedidn'tlikeit,butitwasclearshewasn'tgoingtobe

abletotalkthemoutofit."Allright,youwin,"shesighed.ThealienChewbacca

hadhitwasstilllyingunconscious,andforamomentshedebatedwhetherornot

theydaredtakethetimetotiehimup.Theneedforhastewon.

"Let'sfindsomeropeandgetmoving."

And besides, a small voice in the back of her head reminded her, even if she

wentalone,thealiensmightstillattackthehouse.Andmightpreferleavingno

witnessesbehind.



The flat, somewhat spongy material that formed the "ground" of Rwookrrorro

waslessthanameterthick.Leia'slightsabercutthroughbothitandthehouse's

floorwithease,droppingaroughlysquarechunkbetweenthebraidedbranches

tovanishintothedarknessbelow.

[Iwillgofirst,]Ralrrasaid,droppingintotheholebeforeanyonecouldarguethe

point. He was still moving a little slowly, but at least the stun-induced dizzy

spellsseemedtohavepassed.

Leialooked upas Chewbaccastepped closeto herand flippedRalrra'sbaldric

aroundhershoulders.

"Lastchancetochangeyourmindaboutthisarrangement,"shewarnedhim.

His answer was short and to the point. By the time Ralrra's quiet [All clearr]

floatedup,theywereready.

AndwithLeia strapped firmlytohis torso, Chewbacca easedhis way through

thehole.

Leiahadfullyexpectedtheexperiencetobeunpleasant.Shehadn'trealizedthat

itwasgoingtobeterrifying,aswell.TheWookieesdidn'tcrawlacrossthetops

of the plaited branches, the way she'd anticipated doing. Instead, using the

climbingclawsshe'dseenherfirstdayhere,theyhungbyallfoursunderneath

thebranchestotravel.

Andthentheytraveled.

ThesideofherfacepressedagainstChewbacca'shairychest,Leiaclenchedher

teethtightlytogether,partlytokeepthemfromchatteringwiththebouncing,but

mostlytokeepmoansoffearfromescaping.Itwasliketheacrophobiashe'dfelt

intheliftcar,multipliedbyathousand.Here,therewasn'tevenarelativelythick

vinebetweenherandthenothingnessbelow—onlyWookieeclawsandthethin

rope connecting them to another set of Wookiee claws. She wanted to say

something—to plead that they stop and at least belay the end of their rope to

something solid—but she was afraid to make even a sound lest it break

Chewbacca's concentration. The sound of his breathing was like the roar of a

waterfallinherears,andshecouldfeelthewarmwetnessofhisbloodseeping

through the thin material of her undertunic. How badly had he been hurt?

Huddledagainsthim,listeningtohisheartpounding,shewasafraidtoask.

Abruptly,hestopped.

Sheopenedhereyes,unawareuntilthatmomentthatshe'dclosedthem."What's

wrong?"sheasked,hervoicetrembling.

[Theenemyhasfoundus,]Ralrragrowledsoftlyfrombesideher.

Bracing herself, Leia turned her head as far as she could, searching the dark

predawngraybehindthem.

There it was: a small patch of darker black set motionlessly against it. A

repulsorliftairspeederofsome kind,stayingwellbackoutofbowcasterrange.

"Itcouldn'tbeaWookieerescueship,Idon'tsuppose,"

sheofferedhopefully.

Chewbacca growled the obvious flaw: the airspeeder wasn't showing even

runninglights.[Yetitdoesnotapproach,]Ralrrapointedout.

"Theywantmealive,"Leiasaid,moretoreassureherselfthantoremindthem.

"They don't want to spook us." She looked around, searching the void around

themandthemattedbranchesabovethemforinspiration.

Andfoundit."Ineedtherestoftherope,"shetoldRalrra,peeringbackatthe

hoveringairspeeder."Allofit."

Steelingherself,shetwistedpartwayaroundinhermakeshiftharness,takingthe

coil he gave her and tying one end securely to one of the smaller branches.

Chewbacca growled an objection. "No, I'm not belaying us," she assured him.

"Sodon'tfall.I'vegotsomethingelseinmind.Okay,let'sgo."

They set off again, perhaps a shade faster than before... and as she bounced

alongagainstChewbacca'storso,Leiarealizedwithmildsurprisethatwhileshe

wasstillfrightened,shewasnolongerterrified.

Perhaps, she decided, because she was no longer simply a pawn or excess

baggage,withherfatetotallyinthehandsofWookieesorgray-skinnedaliensor

theforcesofgravity.Shewasnowatleastpartiallyincontrolofwhathappened.

They continued on, Leia playing out the rope as they traveled. The dark

airspeederfollowed,stillwithoutlights,stillkeepingwellbackfromthem.She

keptaneyeonitastheybouncedalong,knowingthatthetiminganddistanceon

thisweregoingtobecrucial.Justalittlebitfarther...

Therewereperhapsthreemetersofropeleftinthecoil.Quickly,shetiedafirm

knot and peered back at their pursuer. "Get ready," she said to Chewbacca.

"Now...stop."

Chewbacca came to a halt. Mentally crossing her fingers, Leia ignited her

lightsaberbeneaththeWookiee'sback,lockediton,andletitdrop.

Andlikeablazingchunkofwaywardlightning,itfellaway,swingingdownand

backontheendoftheropeinalongpendulumarc.Itreachedbottomandswung

backuptheotherdirection—Andintotheundersideoftheairspeeder.

There was a spectacular flash as the lightsaber blade sliced through the

repulsorliftgenerator.Aninstantlatertheairspeederwasdroppinglikeastone,

twoseparateblazesflaringfromeitherside.Thecraftfellintothemistsbelow,

andfor a longmoment thefireswere visibleas firsttwo,and thenas a single

diffusespotoflight.Theneventhatfaded,leavingonlythelightsaberswinging

gentlyinthedarkness.

Leia took a shuddering breath. "Let's go retrieve the lightsaber," she told

Chewbacca. "After that, I think we can probably just cut our way back up. I

doubtthereareanyofthemleftnow."

[Andthendirectlytoyourrship?]Ralrraaskedastheyheadedbacktothebranch

whereshe'dtiedtherope.

Leiahesitated,theimageofthatsecondalieninherroomcomingbacktomind.

Standingtherefacingher,anunreadableemotioninfaceandbodylanguage,so

stunned or enraptured or frightened that he didn't even notice Chewbacca's

entry..."Backtotheship,"sheansweredRalrra."Butnotdirectly."



The alien was sitting motionless in a low seat in the tiny police interrogation

room, a small bandage on the side of his head the only external evidence of

Chewbacca'sblow.Hishandswererestinginhislap,thefingerslacedintricately

together. Stripped of all clothing and equipment, he'd been given a loose

Wookieerobetowear.Onsomeoneelsetheeffectoftheoutsizedgarmentmight

havebeencomical.

Butnotonhim.Neithertherobenorhisinactivitydidanythingtohidetheaura

ofdeadlycompetencethatheworelikeasecondskin.Hewas—probablyalways

would be—a member of a dangerous and persistent group of trained killing

machines.

Andhe'daskedspecificallytoseeLeia.Inperson.

Toweringbesideher,Chewbaccagrowledonefinalobjection."Idon'tmuchlike

iteither,"Leiaconceded,gazing atthemonitordisplayand tryingtoscrew up

hercourage."Butheletmegobackatthehouse,beforeyoucamein.Iwantto

know—Ineedtoknow—whatthatwasallabout."

Briefly,herconversationwithLukeontheeveoftheBattleofEndorflashedto

mind. His quiet firmness, in the face of all her fears, that confronting Darth

Vader was somethinghehadto do. That decision had nearly killed him... and

hadultimatelybroughtthemvictory.

ButLukehadfeltsomefaintwispsofgoodstillburieddeepinsideVader.Did

she feel something similar in this alien killer? Or was she driven merely by

morbidcuriosity?

Orperhapsbymercy?

"You can watch and listen from here," she told Chewbacca, handing him her

blaster and stepping to the door. The lightsaber she left hooked onto her belt,

thoughwhatuseitwouldbeinsuchclosequartersshedidn'tknow."Don'tcome

in unless I'm in trouble." Taking a deep breath, she unlocked the door and

pressedtherelease.

Thealienlookedupasthedoorslidopen,anditseemedtoLeiathathesatup

straighter as she stepped inside. The door slid shut behind her, and for a long

momenttheyjusteyedeachother."I'mLeiaOrganaSolo,"shesaidatlast."You

wantedtotalktome?"

Hegazedatherforanothermoment.Then,slowly,hestoodupandreachedout

ahand."Yourhand,"

hesaid,hisvoicegravellyandstrangelyaccented."MayIhaveit?"

Leiatookastepforwardandofferedhimherhand,acutelyawarethatshehad

justcommitted anirrevocableact oftrust. Fromhere,if heso chose, hecould

pull her to him and snap her neck before anyone outside could possibly

intervene.

Hedidn'tpull her towardhim. Leaning forward,holdingher hand inan oddly

gentlegrip,heraisedittohissnoutandpresseditagainsttwolargenostrilshalf

hiddenbeneathstrandsofhair.

Andsmelledit.

He smelled it again, and again, taking long, deep breaths. Leia found herself

staringathisnostrils,noticingforthefirsttimetheirsizeandthesoftflexibility

oftheskinfoldsaroundthem.Likethoseofatrackinganimal,sherealized.A

memoryflashedtomind:how,ashe'dheldherhelplessbackatthehouse,those

samenostrilshadbeenpressedintoherneck.

Andrightafterthatwaswhenhe'dlethergo...

Slowly, almost tenderly, the alien straightened up. "It is then true," he grated,

releasingherhandandlettinghisownfalltohisside.Thosehugeeyesstaredat

her,brimmingwithanemotionwhosenatureherJediskillscouldvaguelysense

butcouldn'tbegintoidentify."Iwasnotmistakenbefore."

Abruptly,hedroppedtobothknees."Iseekforgiveness,LeiaOrganaSolo,for

myactions,"hesaid,duckinghisheadtothefloor,hishandssplayedouttothe

sidesastheyhadbeeninthatencounterbackatthehouse."Ourordersdidnot

identifyyou,butgaveonlyyourname."

"Iunderstand,"shenodded,wishingshedid."ButnowyouknowwhoIam?"

Thealien'sfacedroppedacoupleofcentimetersclosertothefloor."Youarethe

Mal'ary'ush,"hesaid.

"ThedaughterandheiroftheLordDarthVader."

"Hewhowasourmaster."

Leiastareddownathim,feelinghermouthfallopenasshestruggledtoregain

her mental balance. The right-angle turns were all coming too quickly. "Your

master?"sherepeatedcarefully.

"He who came to us in our desperate need," the alien said, his voice almost

reverent."Wholiftedusfromourdespair,andgaveushope."

"Isee,"shemanaged.Thiswholethingwasrapidlybecomingunreal...butone

factalreadystoodout.

Thealienprostratinghimselfbeforeherwaspreparedtotreatherasroyalty.

Andsheknewhowtobehavelikeroyalty.

"Youmayrise,"shetoldhim,feelinghervoiceandpostureandmannersettling

into the almost-forgotten patterns of the Alderaanian court. "What is your

name?"

"IamcalledKhabarakhbyourlord,"thealiensaid,gettingtohisfeet."Inthe

languageoftheNoghri—"

Hemadea long, convoluted roilingnoise that Leia'svocalcords didn't have a

hopeofimitating.

"I'llcallyouKhabarakh,"shesaid."YourpeoplearecalledtheNoghri?"

"Yes."Thefirsthintofuncertaintyseemedtocrossthedarkeyes."Butyouare

theMal'ary'ush,"headded,withobviousquestion.

"Myfatherhadmanysecrets,"shetoldhimgrimly."You,obviously,wereone

ofthem.Yousaidhebroughtyouhope.Tellmehow."

"He came to us," the Noghri said. "After the mighty battle. After the

destruction."

"Whatbattle?"

Khabarakh'seyesseemedtodriftintomemory."Twogreatstarshipsmetinthe

spaceoverourworld,"

he said, his gravelly voice low. "Perhaps more than two; we never knew for

certain.Theyfoughtallthedayandmuchofthenight...andwhenthebattlewas

over,ourlandwasdevastated."

Leiawinced,apang ofsympatheticacherunningthroughher.Ofache,andof

guilt."Weneverhurtnon-Imperialforcesorworldsonpurpose,"shesaidsoftly.

"Whateverhappened,itwasanaccident."

Thedarkeyesfixedagainonher."TheLordVaderdidnotthinkso.Hebelieved

itwasdoneonpurpose,todrivefearandterrorintothesoulsoftheEmperor's

enemies."

"ThentheLordVaderwasmistaken,"Leiasaid,meetingthatgazefirmly."Our

battlewaswiththeEmperor,nothissubjugatedservants."

Khabarakh drew himself up stiffly. "We were not the Emperor's servants," he

grated."Wewereasimplepeople,contenttoliveourliveswithoutconcernfor

thedealingsofothers."

"YouservetheEmpirenow,"Leiapointedout.

"In return for the Emperor's help," Khabarakh said, a hint of pride showing

throughhisdeference."Onlyhecametoouraidwhenwesodesperatelyneeded

it. In his memory, we serve his designated heir—the man to whom the Lord

Vaderlongagoentrustedus."

"IfinditdifficulttobelievetheEmperoreverreallycaredaboutyou,"Leiatold

himbluntly."That'snotthesortofmanhewas.Allhecaredaboutwasobtaining

yourserviceagainstus."

"Onlyhecametoouraid,"Khabarakhrepeated.

"Becausewewereunawareofyourplight,"Leiatoldhim.

"Soyousay."

Leia raised her eyebrows. "Then give me a chance toprove it. Tell me where

yourworldis."

Khabarakh jerked back. "That is impossible. You would seek us out and

completethedestruction—"

"Khabarakh,"Leiacuthimoff."WhoamI?"

The folds around the Noghri's nostrils seemed to flatten. "You are the Lady

Vader.TheMal'ary'ush."

"DidtheLordVadereverlietoyou?"

"Yousaidhedid."

"I said he was mistaken," Leia reminded him, perspiration starting to collect

beneathhercollarassherecognizedtheknifeedgeshewasnowwalkingalong

here. Her newfound status with Khabarakh rested solely on the Noghri's

reverenceforDarthVader.Somehow,shehadtoattackVader'swordswithout

simultaneously damaging that respect. "Even the Lord Vader could be

deceived...andtheEmperorwasamasterofdeception."

"TheLordVaderservedtheEmperor,"Khabarakhinsisted."TheEmperorwould

nothaveliedtohim."

Leiagrittedherteeth.Stalemate."Isyournewlordequallyhonestwithyou?"

Khabarakhhesitated."Idon'tknow."

"Yes,youdo—yousaidyourselfhedidn'ttellyouwhoitwasyou'dbeensentto

capture."

AstrangesortoflowmoanrumbledinKhabarakh'sthroat."Iamonlyasoldier,

mylady.Thesemattersare farbeyondmyauthorityandability.Mydutyisto

obeymyorders.Allofmyorders."

Leiafrowned.Somethingaboutthewayhe'dsaidthat...andabruptly,sheknew

whatitwas.Foracapturedcommandofacinginterrogation,therecouldbeonly

oneorderlefttofollow."Yetyounowknowsomethingnoneofyourpeopleare

awareof,"shesaidquickly."Youmustlive,tobringthisinformationtothem."

Khabarakhhadbroughthispalmstofaceeachother,asifpreparingtoclapthem

together.Nowhefroze,staringather."TheLordVadercouldreadthesoulsof

theNoghri,"hesaidsoftly."YouareindeedhisMal'ary'ush."

"Your people need you, Khabarakh," she told him. "As do I. Your death now

wouldonlyhurtthoseyouseektohelp."

Slowly,heloweredhishands."Howisityouneedme?"

"BecauseIneedyourhelpifI'mtodoanythingforyourpeople,"shesaid."You

musttellmethelocationofyourworld."

"Icannot,"hesaidfirmly."Todosocouldbringultimatedestructionuponmy

world.Anduponme,ifitwerelearnedIhadgivenyousuchinformation."

Leiapursedherlips."Thentakemethere."

"Icannot!"

"Whynot?"

"I...cannot."

Shefixedhimwithherbestregalstare."Iamthedaughter—theMal'ary'ush—

oftheLordDarthVader,"shesaidfirmly."Byyourownadmission,hewasthe

hopeofyourworld.Havemattersimprovedsincehedeliveredyoutoyournew

leader?"

Hehesitated."No.Hehastoldusthereislittlemorethatheoranyoneelsecan

do."

"Iwouldprefertojudgethatformyself,"she toldhimloftily."Orwouldyour

peopleconsiderasinglehumantobesuchathreat?"

Khabarakh twitched. "You would come alone? To a people seeking your

capture?"

Leiaswallowedhard,ashiverrunningdownherback.No,shehadn'tmeantto

imply that. But then, she hadn't been sure of why she'd wanted to talk to

Khabarakhinthefirstplace.ShecouldonlyhopethattheForcewasguidingher

intuitioninallthis."Itrustyourpeopletobehonorable,"shesaidquietly."Itrust

themtograntmeahearing."

Sheturnedandsteppedtothedoor."Considermyoffer,"shetoldhim."Discuss

it with those whose counsel you value. Then, if you choose, meet me in orbit

abovetheworldofEndorinonemonth'stime."

"Youwillcomealone?"Khabarakhasked,apparentlystillnotbelievingit.

Sheturnedandlookedhim straightinthatnightmareface. "Iwillcomealone.

Willyou?"

Hefacedherstarewithoutflinching."IfIcome,"hesaid,"Iwillcomealone."

She held his gaze a moment longer, then nodded. "I hope to see you there.

Farewell."

"Farewell...LadyVader."

Hewasstillstaringatherasthedooropenedandsheleft.



The tiny ship shot upward through the clouds, vanishing quickly from the

Rwookrrorro air-control visual monitor. Beside Leia, Chewbacca growled

angrily."Ican'tsayI'mreallyhappywithit,either,"sheconfessed."Butwecan't

dodgethem forever.If wehave evena chanceofgettingthemoutfromunder

Imperialcontrol..."Sheshookherhead.

Chewbaccagrowledagain."Iknow,"shesaidsoftly,someofhispainfindingits

wayintoherownheart.

"Iwasn'tasclosetoSalporinasyouwere,buthewasstillmyfriend."

TheWookieeturnedawayfromthemonitorsandstompedacrosstheroom.Leia

watched him, wishing there was something she could do to help. But there

wasn't. Caughtbetweenconflictingdemands of honor, he would have to work

thisoutintheprivacyofhisownmind.

Behindher,someonestirred.[Itistime,]Ralrrasaid.[Thememorialperiodhas

begun.Wemustjointheotherrs.]

Chewbaccagrowledanacknowledgmentandwentovertojoinhim.Leialooked

atRalrra—[ThisperiodisforrWookieesonly,]herumbled.[Laterr,youwillbe

permittedtojoinus.]

"I understand," Leia said. "If you need me, I'll be on the landing platform,

gettingtheLadyLuckreadytofly."

[Ifyoutrulyfeelitissafetoleave,]Ralrrasaid,stillsoundingdoubtful.

"It is," Leia told him. And even if it wasn't, she added silently to herself, she

wouldstillhavenochoice.

She had a species name now—Noghri—and it was vital that she return to

Coruscantandgetanotherrecordssearchunderway.

[Verywell.Themourningperiodwillbeginintwohourrs.]

Leianodded,blinkingbacktears."I'llbethere,"shepromised.

Andwonderedifthiswarwouldevertrulybeover.

Chapter26

Themassofvineshungtwistedaroundandbetweenhalfadozentrees,looking

like the web of a giant spider gone berserk. Fingering Skywalker's lightsaber,

Marastudiedthetangle,tryingtofigureoutthefastestwaytoclearthepath.

Outofthecornerofhereye,shesawSkywalkerfidgeting."Justkeepyourshirt

on,"shetoldhim.

"This'llonlytakeaminute."

"Youreallydon'thavetogoforfinesse,youknow,"heoffered."It'snotlikethe

lightsaber'srunninglowonpower."

"Yes,butwe'rerunninglowonforest,"sheretorted."Youhaveanyideahowfar

thehumofalightsabercancarryinwoodslikethis?"

"Notreally."

"Me,neither.I'dliketokeepitthatway."Sheshiftedherblastertoherlefthand,

ignited the lightsaber with her right, and made three quick cuts.The tangle of

vines dropped to the ground as she closed the weapon down. "That wasn't so

hard, now, was it?" she said, turning to face Skywalker and hooking the

lightsaber back onto her belt. She started to turn away— The droid's warning

squeal came a fraction of a second before the sudden rustle of leaves. She

whirled back, flipping her blaster into her right hand as the vornskr leaped

towardSkywalkerfromabranchthreetreesaway.

Evenaftertwo long daysoftravel, Skywalker's reflexeswere still adequateto

the task. He let go the handles of the travois and dropped to the ground just

ahead of the vornskr's trajectory. Four sets of claws and a whip tail took a

concerted swipe at him as the predator shot by overhead. Mara waiteduntil it

hadlanded,andasitspunbackaroundtowarditsintendedprey,sheshotit.

Cautiously, Skywalker got back to his feet and looked warily around. "I wish

you'dchangeyourmindaboutgivingmebackmylightsaber,"hecommentedas

hebentdowntopickupthetravoishandlesagain."Youmustbegettingtiredof

shootingvornskrsoffme."

"What, you afraid I'm going to miss?" she retorted, stepping over to prod the

vornskrwithherfoot.Itwasdead,allright.

"You'reanexcellentshot,"heconceded,draggingthetravoistowardthetangle

of vines she'd just cleared out. "But you've also gone two nights without any

sleep.That'sgoingtocatchupwithyoueventually."

"Youjustworryaboutyourself,"shesnapped."Comeon,getmoving—weneed

tofindsomeplaceclearenoughtosendupthesondeballoon."

Skywalker headed off, the droid strapped to the travois behind him beeping

softly to itself. Mara brought up the rear, watching to make sure the travois

wasn't leaving too clear a trail and scowling hard at the back of Skywalker's

head.

Thereallyirritatingpartwasthathewasright.Thatpassfromlefttorighthanda

minute ago—a technique she'd done a thousand times before—she'd come

withinahairofmissingthecatchcompletely.

Herheartthuddedconstantlynow,notquietingdownevenduringrest.Andthere

werelongperiodsduringtheirmarchwherehermindsimplydrifted,insteadof

focusingonthetaskathand.

Once,longago,she'dgonesixdayswithoutsleep.Now,afteronlytwo,shewas

alreadystartingtofallapart.

Sheclenchedherteethandscowledalittleharder.Ifhewashopingtoseethe

collapse, he was going to be sorely disappointed. If for no other reason than

professionalpride,shewasgoingtoseethisthrough.

Ahead,Skywalkerstumbledslightlyashecrossedapatchofroughground.The

right travois handle slipped out of his grip, nearly dumping the droid off the

travoisandelicitingasquealofprotestfromthemachine."Sowho'sgettingtired

now?"Maragrowledashestoopedtopickupthestickagain."That'sthethird

timeinthepasthour."

"It's just my hand," he replied calmly. "It seems to be permanently numb this

afternoon."

"Sure,"shesaid.Ahead,asmallpatchofblueskywinkeddownthroughthetree

branches. "There's our hole," she said, nodding to it. "Put the droid in the

middle."

Skywalkerdidashewasinstructed,thenwentandsatdownagainstoneofthe

treesedgingthetinyclearing.Maragotthesmallsondeballoonfilledandsentit

aloftonitsantennawire,runningalinefromthereceiverintothesocketwhere

the droid's retrieval jack had once been. "All set," she said, glancing over at

Skywalker.

Leaningbackagainsthistree,hewassoundasleep.

Mara snorted with contempt. Jedi! she threw the epithet at him as she turned

backtothedroid."Comeon,let'sgetgoing,"shetoldit,sittingdowncarefully

on the ground. Her twisted ankle seemed to be largely healed, but she knew

betterthantopushit.

The droid beeped questioningly, its dome swiveling around to look briefly at

Skywalker."Isaidlet'sgetgoing,"sherepeatedharshly.

The droid beeped again, a resigned sort of sound. The communicator's pulse

indicatorflashedonce asthedroidrequestedamessagedumpfrom thedistant

X-wing'scomputer;flashedagainasthedumpcameback.

Abruptly the droid squealed in obvious excitement. "What?" Mara demanded,

snatchingoutherblasterandgivingtheareaaquickscan.Nothingseemedout

ofplace."What,there'sfinallyamessage?"

The droid beeped affirmatively, its dome again turning toward Skywalker.

"Well,let'shaveit,"Maragrowled."Comeon—ifthere'sanythinginitheneeds

tohear,youcanplayitforhimlater."

Assuming—shedidn'tadd—therewasn'tanythinginthemessagethatsuggested

sheneededtocomeoutoftheforestalone.Iftherewas...

Thedroidbentforwardslightly,andaholographicimageappearedonthematted

leaves.

But not an image of Karrde, as she'd expected. It was, instead, an image of a

golden-skinnedprotocoldroid."Goodday,MasterLuke,"theprotocoldroidsaid

ina remarkablyprissy voice."Ibringgreetingsto youfrom CaptainKarrde—

and, of course, to you as well, Mistress Mara," it added, almost as an

afterthought."HeandCaptainSoloaremostpleasedtohearyouarebothalive

andwellafteryouraccident."

CaptainSolo?Marastaredattheholograph,feelingtotallystunned.Whatinthe

EmpiredidKarrdethinkhewasdoing?—he'dactuallytoldSoloandCalrissian

aboutSkywalker?

"I trust you'll be able to decrypt this message, Artoo," the protocol prissy

continued."CaptainKarrdesuggestedthatIbeusedtoaddabitmoreconfusion

to the counterpart encrypt. According to him,there are Imperial stormtroopers

waitinginHyllyardCityforyoutomakeyourappearance."

Mara clenched her teeth, throwing a look at her sleeping prisoner. So Thrawn

hadn'tbeenfooled.HeknewSkywalkerwashere,andwaswaitingtotakethem

both.

Withavicious effort,shestifled thefatigue-fedpanic risinginher throat. No.

Thrawndidn'tknow—atleast,notforsure.Heonlysuspected.Ifhe'dknownfor

sure, there wouldn't have been anyone left back at the camp to send her this

message.

"ThestoryCaptainKarrdetoldtheImperialswasthataformeremployeestole

valuablemerchandiseandtriedtoescape,withacurrentemployeenamedJade

inpursuit.Hesuggeststhat,sinceheneverspecifiedJadeasbeingawoman,that

perhapsyouandMistressMaracouldswitchroleswhenyouleavetheforest."

"Right," Mara muttered under her breath. If Karrde thought she was going to

cheerfullyhandherblasteroverforSkywalkertostickinherback,he'dbetter

trythinkingagain.

"At any rate," the protocol droid continued, "he says he and Captain Solo are

working out a plan to try to intercept you before the stormtroopers do. If not,

theywilldotheirbesttorescueyoufromthem.I'mafraidthere'snothingmoreI

cansayatthemoment—CaptainKarrdehasputaone-minutereal-timelimiton

thismessage,topreventanyonefromlocatingthetransmissionpoint.Hewishes

yougoodluck.TakegoodcareofMasterLuke,Artoo...andyourself,too."

Theimage vanishedand thedroid'sprojector winkedout. Marashut downthe

communicator, setting the antenna spool to begin winding the balloon back

down.

"It'sagoodidea,"Skywalkermurmured.

She looked sharply at him. His eyes were still closed. "I thought you were

faking,"shespat,notreallytruthfully.

"Not faking," he corrected her sleepily. "Drifting in and out. It's still a good

idea."

She snorted. "Forget it. We'll try going a couple of kilometers north instead,

circlingout andback toHyllyardfrom theplains." Sheglanced ather chrono,

thenupthroughthetrees.Darkcloudshadmovedinoverthepastfewminutes,

coveringtheblueskythathadbeenthere.Notrainclouds,shedecided,butthey

wouldstillcutratherstronglyintowhatwasleftoftheavailabledaylight."We

mightaswellsavethatfortomorrow,"shesaid,favoringherankleagainasshe

gotbacktoherfeet."Youwanttoget—oh,nevermind,"sheinterruptedherself.

Ifhisbreathingwasanythingtogoby,he'ddriftedoffagain.

Whichleftthetaskofputtingcamptogetheruptoher.Terrific."Stayput,"she

growledtothedroid.Sheturnedbacktowhereshe'ddroppedthesurvivalkit—

The droid's electronic shriek brought her spinning back around again, hand

clawingforherblaster,eyesflickingaroundforthedanger—Andthenaheavy

weightslammedfull onto hershouldersand back, sending hotneedles of pain

intoherskinandthrowingherface-firsttotheground.

Herlastthought,beforethedarknesstookher,wastowishdesperatelythatshe'd

killedSkywalkerwhenshe'dhadthechance.



Artoo'swarblingalertjerkedLukeoutofhisdoze.Hiseyessnappedopen,just

asablurofmuscleandclawlauncheditselfthroughspaceontoMara'sback.

Heboundedtohisfeet,sleepinessabruptlygone.Thevornskrwasstandingover

Mara,itsfrontclawsplantedon hershoulders,itsheadturnedtothesideasit

preparedtosinkitsteethintoherneck.Maraherselflayunmoving,thebackof

herheadtowardLuke—deadormerelystunned,itwasimpossibletotell.Artoo,

clearly too far away to reach her in time, was nevertheless moving in that

direction as fast as his wheels could manage, his small electric arc welder

extendedasifforbattle.

Takingadeepbreath,Lukescreamed.

Notanordinaryscream;butashivering,booming,inhumanhowlthatseemedto

fill the entire clearing and reverberate back from the distant hills. It was the

blood-freezing call of a krayt dragon, the same call Ben Kenobi had used to

scarethesandpeopleawayfromhimallthoseyearsagoonTatooine.

Thevornskrwasn'tscaredaway.Butitwasclearlystartled,itspreytemporarily

forgotten.Shiftingits weight partiallyoff Mara's back,itturned, crouching, to

staretowardthesound.

ForalongmomentLukelockedgazeswiththecreature,afraidtomovelesthe

breakthespell.IfhecoulddistractitlongenoughforArtootogettherewithhis

welder...

And then, still pinned to the ground, Mara twitched. Luke cupped his hands

around his mouth and howled again. Again, the vornskr shifted its weight in

response.

Andwithasoundthatwashalfgruntandhalfcombatyell,Maratwistedaround

onto her back beneath the predator, her hands snaking past the front claws to

gripitsthroat.

Itwasthe only openingLukewas going toget;and with avornskragainst an

injuredhuman,itwasn'tgoingtolastforlong.Pushingofffromthetreetrunk

behindhim,Lukecharged,aimingforthevornskr'sflank.

Henevergotthere.Evenashebracedhimselffortheimpact,thevornskr'swhip

tail whistled out of nowhere to catch him solidly along shoulder and face and

sendhimsprawlingsidewaystotheground.

Hewas onhis feetagain inan instant,dimly awareof thelineoffireburning

acrosscheekandforehead.

Thevornskrhissedashecametowarditagain,slashingrazor-sharpclawsathim

towardhimback.

Artoo reached the struggle and sent a spark into the predator's left front paw;

almostcasually,thevornskrswungatthewelder,snappingitoffandsendingthe

piecesflying.Simultaneously,thetailwhippedaround,theimpactliftingArtoo

upononesetofwheels.Itswungagainandagain,eachtimecomingcloserto

knockingthedroidover.

Lukegrittedhisteeth,mindsearchingfuriouslyforaplan.Shadowboxingatthe

creature's head like this wasn't anything more than a delaying tactic; but the

minute the distraction ceased, Mara was as good as dead. The vornskr would

eitherslashherarmswithitsclawsorelsesimplyoverwhelmhergripbybrute

force.Withthelossofhiswelder,Artoohadnofightingcapabilityleft;andif

thevornskrkeptathimwiththatwhiptail...

Thetail."Artoo!"Lukesnapped."Nexttimethattailhitsyou,trytograbit."

Artoo beeped a shaky acknowledgment and extended his heavy grasping arm.

Lukewatchedoutofthecornerofhiseye,stilltryingtokeepthevornskr'shead

and front paws busy. The tail whipped around again, and with a warble of

triumph,Artoocaughtit.

Awarblethatturnedquicklyintoascreech.Againwithalmostcasualstrength,

thevornskrrippeditstailfree,takingmostofthegraspingarmwithit.

Butithadbeenpinnedoutofactionforapairofheartbeats,andthatwasallthe

timeLukeneeded.

DivingaroundArtoo'sbulkandunderthetrappedwhiptail,hedartedhishand

toMara'ssideandsnatchedbackhislightsaber.

Thewhiptailslashedtowardhimasherolledbacktohisfeet,butbythetimeit

got there Luke was out of range around Artoo's side again. Igniting the

lightsaber,hereachedtheblazingbladepasttheflailingclawsandbrushedthe

vornskr'snose.

Thepredatorscreamed,inangerorpain,shyingbackfromthisbizarrecreature

thathadbitit.Luketappeditagainandagain,tryingtodriveitawayfromMara

wherehecouldsafelydeliverakillingblow.

Abruptly, in a single smooth motion,the vornskr leaped backwards onto solid

ground,thensprangstraightatLuke.Alsoinasinglesmoothmotion,Lukecutit

inhalf.

"Abouttime,"ahoarsevoicecroakedfrombeneathhisfeet.Helookeddownto

see Marapushhalfthe dead vornskr off her chest andraiseherselfup on one

elbow."Whatinblazeswasthatstupidgameyouwereplaying?"

"Ididn'tthinkyou'dlikeyourhandscutoffifImissed,"Luketoldher,breathing

hard.Hetookastepbackasshesatupandofferedherahelpinghand.

She waved the hand away. Rolling slowly onto hands and knees, she pushed

herselftiredlytoherfeetandturnedbacktofacehim.

Withherblasterbackinherhand.

"Justdropthelightsaberandmoveback,"shepanted,gesturingwiththeweapon

foremphasis.

Lukesighed,shakinghishead."Idon'tbelieveyou,"hesaid,shuttingdownthe

lightsaberanddroppingitontotheground.Theadrenalinewasrecedingfromhis

system now, leaving both face and shoulder aching like fury. "Or didn't you

noticethatArtooandIjustsavedyourlife?"

"Inoticed.Thanks."Keepingherblastertrainedonhim,Marastoopedtoretrieve

thelightsaber."Ifigurethat'smyrewardfornotshootingyoutwodaysago.Get

overthereandsitdown."

LukelookedoveratArtoo,whowasmoaningsoftlytohimself."Doyoumindif

IlookatArtoofirst?"

Maralookeddownatthedroid,her lipscompressedintoa thinline."Sure,go

ahead." Moving clear of both of them, she picked up the survival pack and

trudgedofftooneofthetreesattheedgeoftheclearing.

Artoo wasn't in as bad a shape as Luke had feared. Both the welder and the

grasping arm had broken off cleanly, leaving no trailing wires or partial

componentsthatmightgetcaughtonsomethingelse.

Speaking quiet encouragement to the droid, Luke got the two compartments

sealed.

"Well?"Maraasked,sittingwithherbacktoatreeandgingerlyapplyingsalve

totheoozingclawmarksonherarms.

"He'sokayfornow,"Luketoldherashewentbackovertohisowntreeandsat

down."He'sbeendamagedworsethanthisbefore."

"I'msogladtohearit,"shesaidsourly.SheglancedatLuke,tookalongerlook.

"Hegotyougood,didn'the?"

Carefully,Luketouchedtheweltrunningacrosshischeekandforehead."I'llbe

allright."

Shesnorted."Sureyouwill,"shesaid,hervoicelacedwithsarcasmasshewent

backtotreatinghergashes."Iforgot—you'reahero,too."

For a long minute Luke watched her, trying once more to understand the

complexitiesandcontradictionsofthisstrangewoman.Evenfromthreemeters

away he could see that her hand was shaking as she applied the salve: with

reaction,perhaps,ormusclefatigue.Almostcertainlywithfear—she'descapeda

bloodydeathbyabarehandfulofcentimeters,andshewouldhavetobeafool

nottorecognizethat.

Andyet,whatevershewasfeelinginside,shewasclearlydeterminednottolet

any of it out past that rock-hard surface she'd so carefully built up around

herself.Asifshewasafraidtoletweaknessofanysortshowthrough...

Abruptly,asiffeelinghiseyesonher,Maralookedup."Isaidthanksalready,"

shegrowled."Whatdoyouwant,amedal?"

Lukeshookhishead."Ijustwanttoknowwhathappenedtoyou."

Foramomentthosegreeneyesflashedagainwiththeoldhatred.Butonlyfora

moment.Thevornskrattack,comingontopoftwodaysoflaborioustraveland

nosleep,hadtakenaseveretollonheremotionalstrength.Theangerfadedfrom

hereyes,leavingonlyatiredcoldnessbehind."Youhappenedtome,"shetold

him,hervoicemorefatiguedthanembittered."Youcameoutofagrubbysixth-

ratefarmonatenth-rateplanet,anddestroyedmylife."

"How?"

Contemptbrieflyfilledherface."Youdon'thavethefaintestideawhoIam,do

you?"

Lukeshookhishead."I'msureI'drememberyouifwe'dmet."

"Oh,right,"shesaidsardonically."Thegreat,omniscientJedi.Seeall,hearall,

knowall,understandall.

No, we didn'tactuallymeet; but I was there, ifyou'dbotheredto notice me. I

wasadanceratJabbatheHutt'spalacethedayyoucameforSolo."

Sothatwasit.She'dworkedforJabba;andwhenhe'dkilledJabba,he'druined

herlife...

Lukefrownedather.No.Herslimfigure,heragilityandgrace—thosecertainly

could belong to a professional dancer. But her piloting skills, her expert

marksmanship,herinexplicableworkingknowledgeoflightsabers—thosemost

certainlydidnot.

Mara was still waiting, daring him with her expression to figure it out. "You

weren'tjustadancer,though,"hetoldher."Thatwasonlyacover."

Herliptwisted. "Very good. ThatvauntedJedi insight, no doubt.Keep going;

you'redoingsowell.

WhatwasIreallydoingthere?"

Lukehesitated.Therewereallsortsofpossibilitiesforthisone:bountyhunter,

smuggler, quiet bodyguard for Jabba, spy from some rival criminal

organization...

No. Her knowledge of lightsabers... and suddenly, all the pieces fell together

witharush."Youwerewaitingforme,"hesaid."VaderknewI'dgotheretotry

andrescueHan,andhesentyoutocaptureme."

"Vader?"She allbutspat thename. "Don'tmake melaugh.Vaderwasa fool,

andskatingontheedgeoftreasonalongwithit.MymastersentmetoJabba'sto

killyou,notrecruityou."

Lukestaredather,anicyshiverrunninguphisback.Itcouldn'tbe...butevenas

hegazedintothattorturedface,heknewwithsuddencertaintythatitwas."And

yourmaster,"hesaidquietly,"wastheEmperor."

"Yes,"shesaid,hervoiceasnake'shiss."Andyoudestroyedhim."

Lukeswallowedhard,thepoundingofhisownhearttheonlysound.Hehadn't

killedtheEmperor—DarthVaderhaddonethat—butMaradidn'tseeminclined

toworryoversuchsubtleties.

"You'rewrong,though,"hesaid."Hedidtrytorecruitme."

"Only because I failed," she ground out, her throat muscles tight. "And only

whenVaderhadyoustandingrightthereinfrontofhim.What,youdon'tthink

heknewVaderhadofferedtohelpyouoverthrowhim?"

Unconsciously, Luke flexed the fingers of his numbed artificial hand. Yes,

Vader had indeed suggested such an alliance during their Cloud City duel. "I

don'tthinkitwasaseriousoffer,"hemurmured.

"TheEmperordid,"Marasaidflatly."Heknew.Andwhatheknew,Iknew."

Her eyes filled with distant pain. "I was his hand, Skywalker," she said, her

voice remembering. "That's how I was known to his inner court: as the

Emperor'sHand.Iservedhimalloverthegalaxy,doingjobstheImperialFleet

and stormtroopers couldn't handle. That was my one great talent, you see—I

could hear his call from anywhere in the Empire, and report back to him the

same way. I exposed traitors for him, brought down his enemies, helped him

keepthekindofcontrol overthemindlessbureaucraciesthatheneeded.I had

prestige,andpower,andrespect."

Slowly,hereyescamebackfromthepast."Andyoutookitallawayfromme.If

onlyforthat,youdeservetodie."

"Whatwentwrong?"Lukeforcedhimselftoask.

Herliptwisted."Jabbawouldn'tletmegowiththeexecutionparty.Thatwasit

—pureandsimple.Itriedbegging,cajoling,bargaining—Icouldn'tchangehis

mind."

"No," Luke said soberly. "Jabba was highly resistant to the mind-controlling

aspectsoftheForce."

ButifshehadbeenontheSailBarge...

Lukeshivered,seeinginhismind'seyethatterrifyingvisioninthedarkcaveon

Dagobah.ThemysterioussilhouettedwomanstandingthereontheSailBarge's

upperdeck,laughingathimassheheldhiscapturedlightsaberhigh.

Thefirsttime,yearsago,thecavehadspunhimanimageofapossiblefuture.

This time, he knew now, it had shown him a possible past. "You would have

succeeded,"hesaidquietly.

Maralookedsharplyathim."I'mnotaskingforunderstandingorsympathy,"she

bitout."Youwantedtoknow.Fine;nowyouknow."

Helethertendherwoundsinsilenceforamoment."Sowhyareyouhere?"he

asked."WhynotwiththeEmpire?"

"WhatEmpire?"shecountered."It'sdying—youknowthataswellasIdo."

"Butwhileit'sstillthere—"

She cut him off with a withering glare. "Who would I go to?" she demanded.

"Theydidn'tknowme—noneofthemdid.NotastheEmperor'sHand,anyway.I

was a shadow, working outside the normal lines of command and protocol.

There were no records kept of my activities. Those few I was formally

introduced to thought of me as court-hanging froth, a minor bit of mobile

decorationkeptaroundthepalacetoamusetheEmperor."

Her eyes went distant again with memory. "There was nowhere for me to go

afterEndor,"shesaidbitterly."Nocontacts,noresources—Ididn'tevenhavea

realidentityanymore.Iwasonmyown."

"AndsoyoulinkedupwithKarrde."

"Eventually. First I spent four and a half years sloshing around the rotten

underfringes of the galaxy, doing whatever I could." Her eyes were steady on

him,withatraceofhatredfirebackinthem."IworkedhardtogetwhereIam,

Skywalker.You'renotgoingtoruinitforme.Notthistime."

"Idon'twanttoruinanythingforyou,"Luketoldherevenly."AllIwantisto

getbacktotheNewRepublic."

"AndIwanttheoldEmpireback,"sheretorted."Wedon'talwaysgetwhatwe

want,dowe?"

Lukeshookhishead."No.Wedon't."

Foramomentsheglaredathim.Then,abruptly,shescoopedupatubeofsalve

andtosseditathim.

"Here—getthatwelt fixed up. And getsomesleep. Tomorrow's going to bea

busyday."

Chapter27

ThebatteredA-ClassbulkfreighterdriftedofftheChimera'sstarboardside:a

giant space-going box with a hyperdrive attached, its faded plating glistening

dullyintheglareoftheStarDestroyer'sfloodlights.

Sittingathiscommandstation,Thrawnstudiedthesensordataandnodded."It

looksgood,Captain,"hesaidtoPellaeon."Exactlythewayitshould.Youmay

proceedwiththetestwhenready."

"It'llbeafewmoreminutesyet,sir,"Pellaeontoldhim,studyingthereadoutson

hisconsole."Thetechniciansarestillhavingsomeproblemsgettingthecloaking

shieldtuned."

He held his breath, half afraid of a verbal explosion. The untested cloaking

shieldand thespecially modifiedfreighter itwas mountedto hadcost hideous

amounts of money—money the Empire really didn't have to spare. For the

technologytonowsuddenlycomeupfinicky,particularlywiththewholeofthe

SluisVanoperationhangingsquarelyinthebalance...

But the Grand Admiral merely nodded. "There's time," he said calmly. "What

wordfromMyrkr?"

"The last regular report came in two hours ago," Pellaeon told him. "Still

negative."

Thrawnnoddedagain."AndthelatestcountfromSluisVan?"

"Uh..." Pellaeon checked the appropriate file. "A hundred twelve transient

warships in all. Sixty-five being used as cargo carriers, the others on escort

duty."

"Sixty-five,"Thrawnrepeatedwithobvioussatisfaction."Excellent.Itmeanswe

gettopickandchoose."

Pellaeonstirreduncomfortably."Yes,sir."

ThrawnturnedawayfromhiscontemplationofthefreightertolookatPellaeon.

"Youhaveaconcern,Captain?"

Pellaeon nodded at the ship. "I don't like sending them into enemy territory

withoutanycommunications."

"Wedon'thavemuchchoiceinthematter,"Thrawnremindedhimdryly."That's

howacloakingshieldworks—nothinggetsout,nothinggetsin."Hecockedan

eyebrow."Assuming,ofcourse,thatitworksatall,"headdedpointedly.

"Yes,sir.But..."

"Butwhat,Captain?"

Pellaeonbracedhimselfandtooktheplunge."Itseemstome,Admiral,thatthis

isthesortofoperationweoughttouseC'baothon."

Thrawn'sgazehardened,justabit."C'baoth?"

"Yes,sir.Hecouldgiveuscommunicationswith—"

"Wedon'tneedcommunications,Captain,"Thrawncuthimoff."Carefultiming

willbeadequateforourpurposes."

"Idisagree,Admiral.Undernormalcircumstances,yes,carefultimingwouldget

them into position. But there's no way to anticipate how long it'll take to get

clearancefromSluisControl."

"On the contrary," Thrawn countered coolly. "I've studied the Sluissi very

carefully. I can anticipate exactly how long it will take them to clear the

freighter."

Pellaeongrittedhisteeth."IfthecontrollerswereallSluissi,perhaps.Butwith

the Rebellion funneling so much of their own material through the Sluis Van

system,they'reboundtohavesomeoftheirownpeopleinControl,aswell."

"It'sofnoconsequence,"Thrawntoldhim."TheSluissiwillbeincharge.Their

timingwilldetermineevents."

Pellaeonexhaledandconcededdefeat."Yes,sir,"hemuttered.

Thrawneyedhim."It'snotaquestionofbravado,Captain.Orofprovingthatthe

ImperialFleetcanfunctionwithouthim.Thesimplefactofthematteristhatwe

can'taffordtouseC'baothtoomuchortoooften."

"Because we'll start depending on him," Pellaeon growled. "As if we were all

borg-implantedintoacombatcomputer."

Thrawnsmiled. "Thatstillbothersyou,doesn'tit?Nomatter.That's partof it,

butonlyaverysmallpart.

Whatconcernsmemoreisthatwedon'tgiveMasterC'baothtoomuchofataste

forthiskindofpower."

Pellaeonfrownedathim."Hesaidhedoesn'twantpower."

"Then he lies," Thrawn returned coldly. "All men want power. And the more

theyhave,themoretheywant."

Pellaeonthoughtaboutthat."Butifhe'sathreattous..."Hebrokeoff,suddenly

awareoftheotherofficersandmenworkingallaroundthem.

The Grand Admiral had no such reticence. "Why not dispose of him?" he

finishedthequestion."It'sverysimple.Becausewe'llsoonhavetheabilitytofill

histasteforpowertothefullest...andoncewe'vedoneso,he'llbenomoreofa

threatthananyothertool."

"LeiaOrganaSoloandhertwins?"

"Exactly," Thrawn nodded, his eyes glittering. "Once C'baoth has them in his

hand, these little excursions with the Fleet will be no more to him than

distractinginterludesthattakehimawayfromhisrealwork."

Pellaeonfoundhimselflookingawayfromtheintensityofthatgaze.Thetheory

seemedgoodenough;butinactualpractice..."Thatassumes,ofcourse,thatthe

Noghriareeverabletoconnectwithher."

"They will." Thrawn was quietly confident. "She and her guardians will

eventuallyrunoutoftricks.

CertainlylongbeforewerunoutofNoghri."

InfrontofPellaeon,thedisplaycleared."They'reready,sir,"hesaid.

Thrawnturnedbacktothefreighter."Atyourconvenience,Captain."

Pellaeon took a deep breath and tapped the comm switch. "Cloaking shield:

activate."

Andoutsidetheviewwindow,thebatteredfreighter—

Stayedexactlyasitwas.

Thrawngazedhardatthefreighter.Lookedathiscommanddisplays,backatthe

freighter...andthenturnedtoPellaeon,asatisfiedsmileonhisface."Excellent,

Captain.PreciselywhatIwanted.Icongratulateyouandyourtechnicians."

"Thankyou,sir,"Pellaeonsaid,relaxingmuscleshehadn'trealizedweretense.

"ThenItakeitthelightisgreen?"

The GrandAdmiral'ssmile remained unchanged, his facehardeningaround it.

"The light is green, Captain," he said grimly. "Alert the task force; prepare to

movetotherendezvouspoint.

"TheSluisVanshipyardsareours."



Wedge Antilleslookedup from the data pad with disbelief. "You've gottobe

kidding,"hetoldthedispatcher."Escortduty?"

The other gave him an innocent look. "What's the big deal?" he asked. "You

guysareX-wings—youdoescortallthetime."

"Weescortpeople,"Wedgeretorted."Wedon'twatchdogcargoships."

Thedispatcher's innocentlook collapsedinto thinlyveileddisgust,andWedge

gotthesuddenimpressionthathe'dgonethroughthissameargumentalotlately.

"Look, Commander, don't dump it on me," he growled back. "It's a standard

Frigateescort—what'sthedifferencewhethertheFrigate'sgotpeopleorabreak-

downreactoraboard?"

Wedgelookedbackatthedatapad.Itwasamatterofprofessionalpride,that's

whatthedifference was. "SluisVan'sa pretty long haulforX-wings," he said

instead.

"Yeah, well, the spec line says you'll be staying aboard the Frigate until you

actually hit the system," the dispatcher said, reaching over his desk to tap the

pagingkeyonWedge'sdatapad."You'lljustridehiminfromthere."

Wedge scanned the rest of the spec line. They'd then have to sit there in the

shipyardsandwait fortherestoftheconvoytoassemblebeforefinallytaking

thecargoontoBpfassh. "We'regoingtobea longtimeaway fromCoruscant

withthis,"hesaid.

"I'd look on that as a plus if I were you, Commander," the dispatcher said,

loweringhisvoice.

"Somethinghere'scomingtoahead.IthinkCouncilorFey'lyaandhispeopleare

abouttomaketheirmove."

Wedgefeltachillrunthroughhim."Youdon'tmean...acoup?"

The dispatcher jumped as if scalded. " No, of course not. What do you think

Fey'lyais—?"

Hebrokeoff,hiseyesgoingwary."Oh,Igotit.You'reoneofAckbar'sdiehards,

huh? Face it, Commander; Ackbar's lost whatever touch he ever had with the

commonfightingmanoftheAlliance.

Fey'lya'stheonlyone on the Council who reallycaresaboutour welfare." He

gesturedatthedatapad.

"Caseinpoint.AllthisgarbagecamedownfromAckbar'soffice."

"Yeah,well,there'sstillanEmpireoutthere,"Wedgemuttered,uncomfortably

awarethatthedispatcher'sverbalattackonAckbarhadneatlyshiftedhimtothe

other side of his own argument. He wondered if the other had done that on

purpose... or whether he really was one of the growing number of Fey'lya

supportersinthemilitary.

Andcometothinkofit,alittlevacationawayfromCoruscantmightnotbesuch

abadidea,afterall.Atleastitwouldgethimawayfromallthiscrazypolitical

stuff."Whendoweleave?"

"Soon as you can get your people together and aboard," the dispatcher said.

"They'realreadyloadingyourfighters."

"Right."Wedgeturnedawayfromthedeskandheadeddownthecorridortoward

thereadyrooms.

Yes,aquietlittlerunbackouttoSluisVanandBpfasshwouldbejustthething

right now. Give him some breathing space to try to sort out just what was

happeningtothisNewRepubliche'driskedsomuchtohelpbuild.

AndiftheImperialstookapokeatthemalongtheway...well,atleastthatwasa

threathecouldfightbackagainst.

Chapter28

It was just before noon when they began to notice the faint sounds wafting

occasionallytothemthroughtheforest.Itwasanotherhourafterthatbeforethey

werecloseenoughforLuketofinallyidentifythem.

Speederbikes.

"You're sure that's a military model?" Mara muttered as the whine/drone rose

andfelltwicemorebeforefadingagainintothedistance.

"I'msure,"Luketoldhergrimly."InearlyranoneofthemintoatreeonEndor."

She didn't reply, and for a moment Luke wondered if the mention of Endor

mightnothavebeenagoodidea.ButaglanceatMara'sfacerelievedthatfear.

Shewasnotbrooding,butlistening."Soundslikethey'reofftothesouth,too,"

shesaidafteraminute."North...Idon'thearanythingfromthatdirection."

Lukelistened."NeitherdoI,"hesaid."Iwonder...Artoo,canyoumakeupan

audiomapforus?"

There was an acknowledging beep. A moment later the droid's holo projector

came on and a two-color map appeared, hovering a few centimeters over the

mattedleavesunderfoot.

"Iwasright,"Marasaid,pointing."Afewunitsdirectlyaheadofus,therestoff

tothesouth.Nothingatallnorth."

"Whichmeanswemusthaveveeredtothenorth,"Lukesaid.

Marafrownedathim."Howdoyoufigurethat?"

"Well,theymustknowwe'llmakeforHyllyardCity,"hesaid."They'reboundto

centertheirsearchonthedirectapproach."

Mara smiled thinly. "Such wonderful Jedi naivete," she said. "I don't suppose

youconsideredthefactthatjustbecausewecan'thearthemdoesn'tmeanthey

aren'tthere."

Lukefrowneddownattheholographicmap."Well,ofcoursetheycouldhavea

forcelyinginwaitthere,"heagreed."Butwhatwoulditgainthem?"

"Oh, come on, Skywalker—it's the oldest tactical trick in the book. If the

perimeterlooksimpossibletocrack,the quarrygoestogroundandwaitsfora

betteropportunity.Youdon'twanthimtodothat,soyougivehimwhatlooks

likeapossiblewaythrough."Shesquatteddown,ranafingerthroughthe"quiet"

sectiononthemap."Inthiscase,theygetabonus:ifweswingnorthtoavoidthe

obviousspeeder bikes,it's instantproof thatwe've gotsomething tohide from

them."

Lukegrimaced."Notthattheyreallyneedanyproof."

Marashruggedandstraightenedupagain."Someofficersaremorelegal-minded

thanothers.Thequestionis,whatdowedonow?"

Luke looked back down at the map. By Mara's reckoning, they were no more

thanfourorfivekilometersfromtheedgeoftheforest—twohours,moreorless.

If the Imperials had this much organization already set up in front of them...

"They'reprobablygoingtotrytoringus,"hesaidslowly.

"Moveunitsaroundtothenorthandsouth,andeventuallybehindus."

"Iftheyhaven'tdonesoalready,"Marasaid."Noreasonwewouldhaveheard

them—theydon'tknowexactlyhowfastwe'removing,sothey'llhavemadeita

bigcircle.ProbablyusingawideringofChariotassaultvehiclesorhoverscouts

withagroupofspeederbikesworkingaroundeachfocalpoint.It'sthestandard

stormtrooperformatforaweb."

Luke pursed his lips. But what the Imperials didn't know was that one of the

quarryknewexactlywhattheywereupto."Sohowdowebreakout?"heasked.

Mara hissed between her teeth. "We don't," she said flatly. "Not without a lot

moreequipmentandresourcesthanwe'vegot."

The faint whine/drone came again from somewhere ahead of them, rising and

thenfadingasitpassedbyinthedistance."Inthatcase,"Lukesaid,"wemight

aswellgostraightupthemiddle.Calltothembeforetheyseeus,maybe."

Marasnorted."Likewewerecasualtouristsoutherewithnothingtohide?"

"Youhaveabetteridea?"

Sheglaredathim.Butitwasareflexiveglare,withoutanyrealargumentbehind

it."Notreally,"sheconcededatlast."Isupposeyou'realsogoingtowanttodo

thatrole-switchthingKarrdesuggested."

Lukeshrugged."We'renotgoingtobeabletoblastourwaythroughthem,"he

remindedher."Andifyou'rerightaboutthatpincermovement,we'renotgoing

tosneakthroughthem,either.Allthat'sleftisabluff,andthebetterabluffitis,

thebetterchancewe'vegot."

Mara'sliptwisted."Isupposeso."Withonlyaslighthesitation,shedroppedthe

powerpackfromherblasterandhandeditandtheforearmholstertohim.

Luke took them, hefted the blaster in his hand. "They maycheckto see if it's

loaded,"hepointedoutmildly."Iwould."

"Look,Skywalker,ifyouthinkI'mgoingtogiveyoualoadedweapon—"

"And if another vornskr finds us before the Imperials do," Luke cut her off

quietly,"you'llnevergetitreloadedfastenough."

"MaybeIdon'tcare,"sheshotback.

Lukenodded."Maybeyoudon't."

She glared at him again, but again, the glare lacked conviction. Teeth visibly

grindingtogether,sheslappedthepowerpackintohishand."Thankyou,"Luke

said,reloadingtheblasterandfasteningittohisleftforearm."Now.Artoo?"

The droid understood. One of the trapezoidal sections at the top of his upper

dome,indistinguishablefromalltheothersegments,slidopentorevealalong,

deepstoragecompartmentbeneathit.TurningbacktoMara,Lukeheldouthis

hand.

She looked at the open hand, then at the storage compartment. "So that's how

youdidit,"shecommentedsourly,unhookinghislightsaberandhandingitover.

"IalwayswonderedhowyousmuggledthatthingintoJabba's."

Lukedroppedthelightsaberin,andArtooslidthedoorshutbehindit."I'llcall

foritifIneedit,"hetoldthedroid.

"Don'tcountonbeingverygoodwithit,"Marawarned."Theysalamirieffectis

supposedtoextendseveralkilometerspasttheedgeoftheforest—noneofthose

littleattack-anticipationtrickswillworkanywherenearHyllyardCity."

"Iunderstand,"Lukenodded."Iguesswe'rereadytogo,then."

"Notquite,"Marasaid,eyeinghim."There'sstillthatfaceofyours."

Lukecockedaneyebrow."Idon'tthinkArtoo'sgotanywheretohidethat."

"Funny.I had somethingelse in mind."Mara glancedaround,then headedoff

towardastandofodd-lookingbushesafewmetersaway.Reachingit,shepulled

theendofhertunicsleevedowntocoverherhandandcarefullypickedafewof

the leaves. "Pull up your sleeve and hold out your arm," she ordered as she

returnedwiththem.

Hedidso,andshebrushedhisforearmlightlywiththetipofoneoftheleaves.

"Now.Let'sseeifthisworks."

"Whatexactlyisitsupposedto—aah!"ThelastofLuke'saircameoutinan

explosiveburstasasearingpainlancedthroughhisforearm.

"Perfect,"Marasaidwithgrimsatisfaction."You'reallergicasanythingtothem.

Oh,relax—thepainwillbegoneinafewseconds."

"Oh, thanks," Luke gritted back. The pain was indeed receding. "Right. Now,

whataboutthis—mmm!—thisblasteditch?"

"That'llhangonalittlelonger,"shesaid,gesturingathisarm."Butnevermind

that.Whatdoyouthink?"

Lukegrittedhisteeth.Theitchingwasnot-so-subtletorture...butshewasright.

Whereshe'dbrushedtheleaftheskinhadturneddarkandpuffy,sprinkledwith

tinypustules."Looksdisgusting,"hesaid.

"Suredoes,"sheagreed."Youwanttodoityourself,oryouwantmetodoitfor

you?"

Lukegrittedhisteeth.Thiswasnotgoingtobepleasant."Icandoit."

Itwasindeedunpleasant;butbythetimehefinishedbrushinghischinwiththe

leavesthepainhadalreadybeguntorecedefromhisforehead."IhopeIdidn't

getittooclosetomyeyes,"hecommentedbetweenclenchedteeth,throwingthe

leavesawayintotheforestandfightinghardagainsttheurgetodigintohisface

with both sets of fingernails. "It'd be handy to be able to see the rest of the

afternoon."

"Ithinkyou'llbeallright,"Maraassuredhim,studyingtheresult."Therestof

yourfaceisprettyhorrendous, though.Youwon't lookanythinglikewhatever

picturestheyhave,that'sforsure."

"Glad to hear it." Luke took a deep breath and ran through the Jedi pain

suppressionexercises.WithouttheForcetheyweren'tallthateffective,butthey

seemedtohelpalittle."HowlongwillIlooklikethis?"

"Thepuffiness shouldstartgoingdownin afew hours.Itwon'tbecompletely

goneuntiltomorrow."

"Goodenough.Weready,then?"

"As ready as we'll ever be." Turning her back to Artoo, she took the travois

handlesandstartedwalking."Comeon."



Theymadegoodtime,despitethelingeringtendernessofMara'sankleandthe

distractionsinherentina faceful of itch. To Luke's relief,theitchingbegan to

fadeafterabouthalfanhour,leavingonlypuffynumbnessbehindit.

Mara'sanklewasanotherstory,however,andashewalkedbehindherandArtoo

hecouldseeclearlyhowshewashavingtofavorit.TheaddedburdenofArtoo's

travoiswasn't helping, andtwice healmostsuggested thatthey give upon the

roleswitching.Butheresistedtheurge.Itwastheirbestchanceofgettingoutof

this,andtheybothknewit.

Besideswhich,shehadfartoomuchpridetoagree.

They'd gone perhaps another kilometer, with the whine/drone of the speeder

bikesrisingandfallinginthedistance,whensuddenlytheywerethere.

Thereweretwoofthem:bikerscoutsinglisteningwhitearmor,swoopingupto

themandbrakingtoahaltalmostbeforeLuke'searshadregisteredthesoundof

their approach. Which meant a very short ride, with target position already

known.

Which meant that the entire search party must have had them located and

vectoredforatleastthepastfewminutes.Itwasjustaswell,Lukereflected,that

hehadn'ttriedswitchingroleswithMara.

"Halt!"oneofthescoutscalledunnecessarilyastheyhoveredthere,bothswivel

blaster cannons trained and ready. "Identify yourselves, in the name of the

Empire."

And it was performance time. "Boy, am I glad you showed up," Luke called

back, putting as much relief into his voice as the puffy cheeks allowed. "You

don'thappentohavesomesortoftransporthandy,doyou?I'maboutwalkedoff

myfeet."

There was just the slightest flicker of hesitation. "Identify yourself," the scout

repeated.

"My name's Jade," Luke told him. He gestured at Mara. "Got a gift here for

TalonKarrde.Idon'tsupposehesentsometransport,didhe?"

There was a short pause. The scouts conferring privately between themselves,

Luke decided, or else calling back to base for instructions. The fact that the

prisonerwasawomandidindeedseemtohavethrownthem.Whetheritwould

beenough,ofcourse,wasanotherquestionentirely.

"You'llcomewithus,"thescoutordered."Ourofficerwantstotalktoyou.You

—woman—putthedroiddownandmoveawayfromit."

"Finewithme,"Lukesaidasthesecondscoutmaneuveredhisspeederbiketoa

positioninfrontofArtoo'stravois."ButIwantbothofyoutowitness,forthe

record,thatIhadherfairandsquarebeforeyoushowedup.Karrdeweaselshis

wayoutofthesecapturefeestoooften;he'snotgoingtoweaseloutofthisone."

"You'reabountyhunter?"thescoutasked,aclearnoteofdisdaininhisvoice.

"That's right," Luke said, putting some professional dignity in his voice as a

counter to the scout's contempt. Not that he minded their distaste. He was, in

fact,countingonit.ThemorefirmlytheImperialshadthewrongimageofhim

setintheirminds,thelongeritwouldtakethemtoseethroughthedeception.

Somewhereinthebackofhismind,though,hecouldn'thelpbutwonderifthis

wasthesortoftrickaJedishoulduse.

ThesecondscouthaddismountedandfastenedthehandlesofArtoo'stravoisto

therearofhisspeederbike.Remounting,heheadedoffataboutthespeedofa

briskwalk."You two follow him," thefirstscout ordered, swinging aroundto

takeuptherear."Dropyourblasteronthegroundfirst,Jade."

Lukecomplied,and theyset off. Thefirstscout putdownjust longenoughto

scoopuptheabandonedblasterandthenfollowed.

Ittookanotherhourtoreachtheedgeoftheforest.Thetwospeederbikesstayed

withthemthewholetime;butastheytraveled,thepartybegantogrow.More

speeder bikes swept in from both sides, falling into close formation on either

sideofLukeandMaraorelsejoiningupwiththeguardstobothfrontandrear.

Asthey nearedtheforest's edge,fully armoredstormtroopers beganto appear,

too, moving in with blaster rifles held ready across their chests to take up

positions around the two prisoners. As they did so, the scouts began drifting

away,rangingfartherouttoformakindofmovingscreen.

Bythetimetheyfinallysteppedoutfrom undertheforestcanopy,theirescort

numbered no fewer than ten biker scouts and twenty stormtroopers. It was an

impressivedisplayofmilitarypower...andmoreeventhanthefactofthesearch

itself,itdrovehometoLuketheseriousnesswithwhichthemysteriousmanin

charge of the Empire was treating this incident. Even at the height of their

power,theImperialshadn'tspentstormtrooperslightly.

Threemorepeople were waitingforthem in the fifty-meterstrip of open land

between the forest and the nearest structures of Hyllyard City: two more

stormtroopers and a hard-faced man wearing a major's insignia on his dusty

brown Imperial uniform. "About time," the latter muttered under his breath as

MaraandLukewerenudgedinhisdirection."Whoarethey?"

"ThemalesayshisnameisJade,"oneofthestormtroopersinfrontreportedin

that slightly filtered voice they all seemed to have. "Bounty hunter; works for

Karrde.Heclaimsthefemaleishisprisoner."

"Washisprisoner,"themajor corrected,lookingatMara."What'syourname,

thief?"

"Senni Kiffu," Mara said, her voice surly. "And I'm not a thief. Talon Karrde

owesme—heowesmebig.Ididn'ttakeanymorethanIhadcoming."

The major looked at Luke, and Luke shrugged. "Karrde's other dealings aren't

anyofmybusiness.Hesaidbringherback.Ibroughtherback."

"And her theft, too, I see." He looked at Artoo, still tied to his travois and

draggingbehindthespeederbike."Getthatdroidoffyourbike,"heorderedthe

scout."Theground'sflatenoughhere,andIwantyouonperimeter.Putitwith

the prisoners. Cuff them, too—they're hardly likely to fall over tree roots out

here."

"Waitaminute,"Lukeobjectedasoneofthestormtrooperssteppedtowardhim.

"Me,too?"

The major raised his eyebrows slightly. "You got a problem with that, bounty

hunter?"heasked,hisvoicechallenging.

"Yeah,Igotaproblemwithit,"Lukeshotback." She'stheprisoner here,not

me."

"Forthemoment you'rebothprisoners," theothercountered."Soshutup."He

frownedatLuke'sface.

"WhatintheEmpirehappenedtoyou,anyway?"

So they weren't going to be able to pass the puffiness off as Luke's natural

features."RanintosomekindofbushwhileIwaschasingher,"hegrowledas

thestormtrooperroughlycuffedhishandsinfrontofhim.

"Ititchedlikeblazesforawhile."

Themajorsmiledthinly."Howveryinconvenientforyou,"hesaiddryly."How

fortunatethatwehaveafullyqualifiedmedicbackatHQ.Heshouldbeableto

bring that swelling down in no time." He held Luke's gaze a moment longer,

then shifted his attention to the stormtrooper leader. "You disarmed him, of

course."

The stormtrooper gestured, and the first of the biker scouts swooped close to

hand Mara's blaster to the major. "Interesting weapon," the major murmured,

turningitoverinhishandsbeforeslidingitintohisbelt.

Fromoverheadcameasofthum,andLukelookeduptoseearepulsorliftcraft

settleintoplaceoverhead.AChariotassaultvehicle,justasMarahadpredicted.

"Ah,"themajorsaid,glancingupatit.

"Allright,Commander.Let'sgo."

Inmany ways, HyllyardCity remindedLuke ofMosEisley: smallhouses and

commercial buildings crammed fairly tightly together, with relatively narrow

streets running between them. The troop headed around the perimeter, clearly

aimingforoneofthewideravenuesthatseemedtoradiate,spokelike,fromthe

centeroftown.Lookingintothecityastheypassedbytheouterbuildings,Luke

wasabletocatchoccasionalglimpsesofwhatseemedtobeanopenareaafew

blocksaway.Thetownsquare,possibly,orelseaspacecraftlandingarea.

Thevanguardhadjustreachedthetargetstreetwhen,inperfectsynchronization,

thestormtroopersabruptlychangedformation.Thoseintheinnercirclepulledin

closertoLukeandMarawhilethoseintheoutercirclemovedfartheraway,the

wholecrowdcomingtoahaltandgesturingtotheirprisonerstodothesame.A

momentlater,thereasonforthesuddenmaneuvercamearoundthecorner:four

scruffy-lookingmenwalkingbrisklytowardthemwithafifthmaninthecenter

oftheirsquare,hishandschainedbehindhim.

Theyhadbarelyemergedfromthestreetwhentheywereinterceptedbyagroup

offourstormtroopers.

Ashortandinaudibleconversationensued,whichconcludedwiththestrangers

handing their blasters over to the stormtroopers with obvious reluctance.

EscortednowbytheImperials,theycontinuedontowardthemaingroup...and

astheywalked,Lukefinallygotaclearlookattheprisoner.ItwasHanSolo.

The stormtroopers opened their ranks slightly to let the newcomers through.

"Whatdoyouwant?"themajordemandedastheystoppedinfrontofhim.

"Name's Chin," one of them said. "We caught this ratch snooping around the

forest—maybelookingforyourprisonersthere.Figuredyoumightwanttohave

atalkwithhim,hee?"

"Uncommonly generous of you," the major said sardonically, giving Han a

quick,measuringglance."Youcometothisconclusionallbyyourself?"

Chindrewhimselfup."JustbecauseIdon'tliveinabigflashycitydoesn'tmean

I'mstupid,"hesaidstiffly."Whathai—youthinkwedon'tknowwhatitmeans

whenImperialstormtroopersstartsettingupatemporarygarrison?"

Themajorgavehimalong,coollook."You'dbestjusthopethatthegarrisonis

temporary."Heglancedatthestormtrooperbesidehim,jerkedhisheadtoward

Han."Checkhimforweapons."

"Wealready—"Chinbegan.Themajorlookedathim,andhefellsilent.

Thefriskingtookonlyaminute,andcameupempty."Puthiminthepocketwith

theothers,"themajorordered."Allright,Chin,youandyourfriendscango.If

heturnsouttobeworthanything,I'llseeyougetapieceofit."

"Uncommonly generous of you," Chin said with an expression that was just

shortofasneer."Canwehaveourgunsbacknow?"

Themajor'sexpression hardened. "You canpick them up lateratour HQ," he

said. "Hyllyard Hotel, straight across the square—but I'm sure a sophisticated

citizenlikeyourselfalreadyknowswhereitis."

For a moment Chin seemed inclined to argue the point. But a glance at the

stormtroopersclustered aroundevidentlychanged hismind forhim. Withouta

wordheturned,andheandhisthreecompanionsstrodebacktowardthecity.

"Moveout,"themajorordered,andtheystartedupagain.

"Well,"Hanmuttered,fallingintostepbesideLuke."Togetheragain,huh?"

"Iwouldn'tmissit,"Lukemutteredback."Yourfriendsthereseeminahurryto

getaway."

"Probablydon'twanttomisstheparty,"Hantoldhim."Alittlesomethingthey

threwtogethertocelebratemycapture."

Lukethrewhimasidewayslook."Shameweweren'tinvited."

"Realshame,"Hanagreedwithastraightface."Youneverknow,though."

Theyhadturned into theavenuenow, moving towardthecenter of town. Just

visible over the heads of the stormtroopers, he could see something gray and

roundeddirectlyaheadofthem.Craninghisneckforabetterview,hesawthat

thestructurewasinfactafreestandingarchway,risingfromthegroundnearthe

farendoftheopenvillagesquarehehadnoticedearlier.

A fairly impressive archway, too, especially for a city this far outside the

mainstream of the galaxy. The upper part was composed of different types of

fittedstone, thecrown flaringoutward likea crossbetweenan umbrellaand a

sectionofslicedmushroom.Thelowerpartcurvedinanddownward,toendina

pairofmeter-squaresupportingpillarsoneachside.Theentirearchroseagood

tenmetersintothesky,withthedistancebetweenthepillarsperhapshalfthat.

Lying directly in front of it was the village square, a fifteen-meterexpanse of

emptyground.

Theperfectplaceforanambush.

Lukefelthisstomachtighten.Theperfectplaceforanambush...exceptthatifit

wasobvioustohim,itmustbeobvioustothestormtroopers,aswell.

Anditwas.Thevanguardofthepartyhadreachedthesquarenow,andasthe

stormtroopers moved outoftheconfinesof the narrow avenue, each lifted his

blasterriflealittlehigherandmovedalittlefartherapartfromhisfellows.They

wereexpectinganambush,allright.Andtheywereexpectingitrighthere.

Gritting his teeth, Luke focused again on the archway. "Is Threepio here?" he

mutteredtoHan.

He sensed Han's frown, but the other didn't waste time with unnecessary

questions."He'swithLando,yeah."

Lukenoddedandglanceddowntohisright.Besidehim,Artoowasrollingalong

thebumpystreet, tryinghardto keepup.Bracinghimself,Luketookastepin

thatdirection—Andwithasqueal,ArtootrippedoverLuke'soutstretchedfoot

andfellflatwithacrash.

Lukewascrouched besidehimin aninstant,leaning overhimas he struggled

withhismanacledhandstogetthelittledroiduprightagain.Hesensedsomeof

the stormtroopers moving forward to assist, but for that single moment, there

wasnooneelsecloseenoughtohearhim."Artoo,calltoThreepio,"hebreathed

into the droid'saudioreceptor."Tell him to wait until we're at the archway to

attack."

The droid complied instantly, its loud warble nearly deafening Luke as he

crouchedtherebesidehim.

Luke'sheadwasstillringingwhenroughhandsgrabbedhimunderthearmsand

hauledhimtohisfeet.

Heregainedhisbalance—

Tofindthemajorstandinginfrontofhim,asuspiciousscowlonhisface."What

wasthat?"theotherdemanded.

"Hefellover,"Luketoldhim."Ithinkhetripped—"

"Imeantthattransmission,"themajorcuthimoffharshly."Whatdidhesay?"

"Hewasprobablytellingmeofffortrippinghim,"Lukeshotback."Howshould

Iknowwhathesaid?"

Foralongminutethemajorglaredathim."Moveout,Commander,"hesaidat

lasttothestormtrooperathisside."Everyonestayalert."

Heturnedaway,andtheystartedwalkingagain."Ihope,"Hanmurmuredfrom

besidehim,"youknowwhatyou'redoing."

Luketookadeepbreathandfixedhiseyesonthearchwayahead."SodoI,"he

murmuredback.

Inaveryfewminutes,heknew,theywouldbothfindout.

Chapter29

"Oh,my!"Threepiogasped."GeneralCalrissian,Ihave—"

"Quiet, Threepio," Lando ordered, peering carefully around the edge of the

windowattheminorcommotiongoingonacrossthesquare."Didyouseewhat

happened,Aves?"

Crouched down beneath the windowsill, Aves shook his head. "Looked like

Skywalker and his droid both fell over," he said. "Couldn't tell for sure—too

manystormtroopersintheway."

"GeneralCalrissian—"

"Quiet,Threepio."LandowatchedtenselyastwostormtrooperspulledLuketo

hisfeet,thenrightedArtoo."Lookslikethey'reokay."

"Yeah." Aves reached down to the floor beside him, picked up the small

transmitter."Herewego.Let'shopeeveryone'sready."

"Andthat Chin andthe othersaren'tstill carryingtheir blasters,"Landoadded

underhisbreath.

Avessnorted."Theyaren't.Don'tworry—stormtroopersarealwaysconfiscating

otherpeople'sweapons."

Landonodded,adjustinghisgriponhisblaster,wishingtheycouldgetthisover

with.Acrosstheway,theImperialsseemedtohavegottenthemselvessortedout

and were starting to move again. As soon as they were all inside the square,

awayfromanypossiblecover...

"GeneralCalrissian,Imustspeaktoyou,"Threepioinsisted."Ihaveamessage

fromMasterLuke."

Landoblinkedathim."FromLuke?"

—butevenashesaidithesuddenlyrememberedthatelectronicwailfromArtoo

justafterhe'dfallenover.Couldthathavebeen—?"Whatisit?"

"Master Luke wants you to hold off the attack," Threepio said, obviously

relievedthatsomeonewasfinallylisteningtohim."Hesaysyou'retowaituntil

thestormtroopersareatthearchbeforefiring."

Avestwistedaround."What?That'scrazy.Theyoutnumberusthreetoone—we

givethemanychanceatallatcoverandthey'llcutustopieces."

Landolookedoutthewindow,grindinghisteethtogether.Aveswasright—he

knewenoughofgroundtacticstorealizethat.Butontheotherhand..."They're

awfullyspread outout there,"hesaid."Coverornocover,they'regoing tobe

hardtotakeout.Especiallywiththosespeederbikesontheirperimeter."

Avesshookhishead."It'scrazy,"herepeated."I'mnotgoingtoriskmypeople

thatway."

"Lukeknowswhathe'sdoing,"Landoinsisted."He'saJedi."

"He's not a Jedi now," Aves snorted. "Didn't Karrde explain about the

ysalamiri?"

"WhetherhehasJedipowersornot,he'sstillaJedi,"Landoinsisted.Hisblaster,

he realized suddenly, was pointed at Aves. But that was okay,becauseAves's

blasterwaspointedathim,too."Anyway,hislifeismoreonthelineherethan

anyofyours—youcanalwaysabortandpullback."

"Oh,sure,"Avessnorted,throwingaglanceoutthewindow.TheImperialswere

nearing the middle of the square now, Lando saw, the stormtroopers looking

wary and alert as anything. "Except that if we leave any of them alive, they'll

sealoffthecity.AndwhataboutthatChariotupthere?"

"Whataboutit?"Landocountered."Istillhaven'theardhowyou'replanningto

takeitout."

"Well,wesureasblazesdon'twantitontheground,"Avesretorted."Andthat's

what'll happen if we let the stormtroopers get to the arch. The Chariot'll put

downrightacrossthefrontofit,rightbetweenusandthem.That,plusthearch

itself,willgivethemallthecovertheyneedtositbackandtakeusoutattheir

leisure."Heshookhisheadandshiftedhisgriponthetransmitter."Anyway,it's

toolatetoclueintheotherstoanyplanchanges."

"Youdon'thavetocluethemin,"Landosaid,feelingsweatcollectingunderhis

collar.Lukewascountingonhim."Noone'ssupposedtodoanythinguntilyou

triggerthebooby-trappedweapons."

Avesshookhisheadagain."It'stoorisky."Heturnedbacktothewindow,raised

thetransmitter.

Andhere,Landorealized—righthere—waswhereitallcamedowntothewire.

Whereyoudecidedwhoorwhatitwasyoutrusted.Tacticsandabstractlogic...

or people. Lowering his blaster, he gently rested the tip of the muzzle against

Aves'sneck."Wewait,"hesaidquietly.

Aves didn't move; but suddenly there was something in the way he crouched

therethatremindedLandoofahuntingpredator."Iwon'tforgetthis,Calrissian,"

hesaid,hisvoiceicysoft.

"Iwouldn'twantyouto,"Landosaid.Helookedoutatthestormtroopers...and

hopedthatLukedidindeedknowwhathewasdoing.



The vanguard had already passed the archway, and the major was only a few

stepsawayfromit,whenfourofthestormtroopersabruptlyblewup.

Quitespectacularly,too.Thesimultaneousflashesofyellow-whitefirelitupthe

landscapetoalmostpainfulintensity;thethunderclapofthemultipledetonations

nearlyknockedLukeover.

Thesoundwasstillringinginhisearswhentheblastersopenedupbehindthem.

The stormtroopers were good, all right. There was no panic that Luke could

detect;nosuddenfreezinginastonishmentorindecision.Theyweremovinginto

combat position almost before the blaster fire had begun: those already at the

archway hugging close to the stone pillars to return covering fire, the rest

movingquicklytojointhem.Abovethesoundoftheblasters,hecouldhearthe

increased whine of the speeder bikes kicking into high speed; overhead, he

caughtjustaglimpseoftheChariotassaultvehicleswivelingaroundtofacethe

unseenattackers.

Andthenanarmoredhandcaughthimundereacharmpit,andsuddenlyhewas

being hauled toward the archway. A few seconds later he was dumped

unceremoniouslyinthenarrowgapbetweenthetwopillarssupportingthenorth

side of the arch. Mara was already crouched there; a second later, two more

stormtroopers tossed Han in to join them. Four of the Imperials moved into

position over them, using the pillars for cover as they began returning fire.

Strugglingtohisknees,Lukeleanedoutforalook.

Outinthefirezone,lookingsmallandhelplessamidthedeadlyhorizontalhail

ofblasterfire,Artoowasrollingtowardthemasfastashislittlewheelswould

carryhim.

"Ithinkwe'reintrouble,"Hanmutteredinhisear."NottomentionLandoand

theothers."

"It's not over yet," Luke told him tightly. "Just stick close. How are you at

causingdistractions?"

"Terrific," Han said; and to Luke's surprise, he brought his hands out from

behindhisback,thechainandmanacleshe'dbeenwearinghanginglooselyfrom

hisleftwrist."Trickcuffs,"hegrunted,pullingaconcealedstripofmetalfrom

theinsideoftheopencuffandprobingatLuke'srestraints."Ihopethisthing—

ah." The pressure on Luke's wrists was suddenly gone; the cuffs opened and

droppedtotheground."Youreadyforyourdistraction?"Hanasked,takingthe

looseendofhischaininhisfreehand.

"Hangonaminute,"Luketoldhim,lookingup.Mostofthespeederbikeshad

taken refuge under the arch, looking like some strange species of giant birds

hiding from a storm as they hovered close to the stone, their laser cannon

spittingtowardthesurroundinghouses.Infrontofthemandjustbelowtheirline

offire,theChariothadswiveledparalleltothearchandwascomingdown.Once

itwasontheground...

A hand gripped Luke's arm, fingernails digging hard into the skin. "Whatever

you'regoingtodo,doit!"

Marahissedviciously."IftheChariotgetsdown,you'llnevergetthemoutfrom

cover."

"Iknow,"Lukenodded."I'mcountingonit."



TheChariotsettledsmoothlytothegrounddirectlyinfrontofthearch,blocking

thelastoftheattackers'

firing vectors. Crouched at the window, Aves swore violently. "Well, there's

yourJediforyou,"hebitout."Yougotanyothergreatideas,Calrissian?"

Landoswallowedhard."We'vejustgottogivehim—"

He never finished the sentence. From the arch a blaster bolt glanced off the

window frame, and suddenly Lando's upper arm flashed with pain. The shock

senthimstumblingbackward,justasasecondshotblewapartthatwholesection

of the frame, driving wooden splinters and chunks of masonry like shrapnel

acrosshischestandarm.

He hit the floor, landing hard enough to see stars. Blinking, gritting his teeth

againstthepain,helookedup—TofindAvesleaningoverhim.

Landolookedupintotheother'sface.Iwon'tforgetthis,Aveshadsaid,nomore

thanthreeminutesago.Andfromthelookonhisface,hewasn'tanticipatingany

needtoholdthatmemoryformuchlonger.

"He'llcomethrough,"Landowhisperedthroughthepain."Hewill."

But he could tell that Aves wasn't listening... and, down deep, Lando couldn't

blame him. Lando Calrissian, the professional gambler, had gambled one last

time.Andhe'dlost.

Andthedebtfromthatgamble—thelastinalonglineofsuchdebts—hadcome

due.



The Chariot settled smoothly to the ground directly in front of the arch, and

Lukegothisfeetunderhim.

Thiswasit."Allright,Han,"hemuttered."Go."

Han nodded and surged to his feet, coming up right in the middle of the four

stormtroopersstandingoverthem.Withabellow,heswunghisformershackles

fullacrossthefaceplateofthenearestguard,thenthrewtheloopedchainaround

theneckofthenextandpulledbackwards,awayfromthepillars.Theothertwo

reactedinstantly,leapingafterhimandtakingthewholegroupdowninatangle.

Andforthenextfewseconds,Lukewasfree.

He stood up and leaned out to look around the pillar. Artoo was still in the

middle of no-man's-land, hurrying to reach cover before he could be hit by a

stray shot. He warbled plaintively as he saw Luke— "Artoo!— now! " Luke

shouted,holdingouthishandandglancingacrosstowardthesouthernendofthe

archway.BetweenthestonepillarsandthegroundedChariot,thestormtroopers

were indeed solidly entrenched. If this didn't work, Han was right: Lando and

everyoneelseout thereweredead. Grittinghisteeth, hoping ferventlythat his

counterattackwasn'talreadytoolate,heturnedbacktoArtoo—Justas,witha

flickerofsilvermetalandperfectaccuracy,hislightsaberdroppedneatlyintohis

outstretchedhand.

Besidehim,theguardshadsubduedHan'scrazyattackandweregettingbackto

theirfeet,leavingHanonhiskneesbetweenthem.Luketookthemallinasingle

sweep, the blazing green lightsaber blade slicing through the glistening

stormtrooperarmorwithhardlyatugtomarkitspassing."Getbehindme,"

hesnappedtoHanandMara,steppingbacktothegapbetweenthetwonorthern

pillars and focusing on the mass of Imperials standing and crouching between

him and the southern pillars. They were suddenly aware that they had an

unexpectedthreatontheir flank,andafewwerealreadystartingtobring their

blasterstobearonhim.

With the Force to guide his hand, he could have held out against them

indefinitely,blockingtheirblastershotswiththelightsaber.Marahadbeenright,

though:theysalamirieffectdidindeedextendthisfaroutsidetheforest,andthe

Forcewasstillsilent.

But then, he'd never had any intention of fighting the stormtroopers anyway.

Turninghisbackontheblasterstrackingtowardhim,heslashedthelightsaber

acrossandupward—Neatlyslicingoneofthestonepillarsinhalf.

Therewasa loud crack assuddenly released tension senta shiver through the

structure. Another stroke cut through the second pillar—And the noise of the

battlewasabruptlydrownedoutbytheawfulgrindingofstoneonstoneasthe

twofracturedpillarsbeganslidingapart.

Lukeswung backaround, peripherallyaware ofHan andMara scramblingout

fromunderthearchtosafetybehindhim.Thestormtroopers'expressionswere

hiddenbehindtheirmasks,butthelookofsuddenhorroronthemajor'sfacesaid

itforallofthem.Overhead,themassofthearchcreakedwarningly;settinghis

teeth, Luke locked the lightsaber on and hurled it across the gap toward the

pillarsthere.Itcutthroughoneofthemandnickedtheother—Andwitharoar,

thewholethingcamecrashingdown.

Luke, standing at the edge, barely got out from under it in time. The

stormtroopers,crouchedinthecenter,didn't.

Chapter30

Karrde walked around the mass of stone to where the crumpled nose of the

Chariotassaultvehiclepokedout,asenseofslightlystunneddisbeliefcoloring

hisvision."Oneman,"hemurmured.

"Well, we helped some," Aves reminded him. But the sarcasm of the words

fadedbeneaththegrudgingrespectclearlytherebehindit.

"AndwithouttheForce,too,"Karrdesaid.

HesensedAvesshruguncomfortably."That'swhatMarasaid.Thoughofcourse

Skywalkermighthaveliedtoheraboutit."

"Unlikely." A motion at the edge of the square caught his eye, and Karrde

lookedovertoseeSoloandSkywalkerhelpingadistinctlyshaky-lookingLando

Calrissiantooneoftheairspeedersparkedaroundtheperimeter."Tookashot,

didhe?"

Avesgrunted."Cameclosetotakingoneofmine,too,"hesaid."Ithoughthe'd

betrayedus—figuredI'dmakesurehedidn'twalkawayfromit."

"In restrospect, it's just as well you didn't." Karrde looked up, searching the

skies.WonderinghowlongitwouldtaketheImperialstorespondtowhathad

happenedheretoday.

Aveslookedup,too."WemightstillbeabletohuntdowntheothertwoChariots

beforetheygetachancetoreport,"hesuggested."Idon'tthinktheheadquarters

peoplegotanymessagesawaybeforewetookthemout."

Karrdeshookhishead,feelingadeepsurgeofsadnessrisingthroughthesense

ofurgencywithinhim.

Notuntilnowhadhetrulyrealizedjusthowmuchhe'dcometolovethisplace—

hisbase,theforest,theplanetMyrkritself.Now,whentherewasnochoicebut

toabandonit."No,"hetoldAves."There'snowaytocoverupourpartinwhat

happenedhere.NotfromamanlikeThrawn."

"You'reprobablyright,"Avessaid,hisvoicetakingonasenseofurgencyofits

own. He understood the implications of that, all right. "You want me to head

backandstarttheevacuation?"

"Yes. And take Mara with you. Make sure she keeps busy—somewhere away

fromtheMillenniumFalconandSkywalker'sX-wing."

HefeltAves'seyesonhim.Butiftheotherwondered,hekepthiswonderingsto

himself."Right.Seeyoulater."

He hurried away. The airspeeder with Calrissian aboard was lifting off now,

heading back to where the Falcon was being prepped for flight. Solo and

Skywalkerwereheadingovertowardasecondairspeeder;withjustamoment's

hesitation,Karrdewentovertointerceptthem.

They reached the craft at the same time, and for a moment eyed each other

acrossitsbow."Karrde,"

Solosaidatlast."Ioweyouone."

Karrdenodded."AreyoustillgoingtogettheEtherwayoutofimpoundmentfor

me?"

"IsaidIwould,"Solotoldhim."Wheredoyouwantitdelivered?"

"JustleaveitonAbregado.Someonewillpickitup."Heturnedhisattentionto

Skywalker. "An interesting little trick," he commented, tilting his head back

towardthemassofrubble."Unorthodox,tosaytheleast."

Skywalkershrugged."Itworked,"hesaidsimply.

"Thatitdid,"Karrdeagreed."Likelysavingseveralofmypeople'slivesinthe

bargain."

Skywalker looked him straight back in the eye. "Does that mean you've made

yourdecision?"

Karrde gave him a slight smile. "I don't really see as I have much choice

anymore."HelookedbackatSolo."Ipresumeyou'llbeleavingimmediately?"

"As soon as we can get Luke's X-wing rigged for towing," Solo nodded,

"Lando'sdoingokay,buthe'sgoingtoneedmorespecializedmedicalattention

thantheFalconcanhandle."

"Itcouldhavebeenworse,"Karrdesaid.

Sologavehimaknowinglook."Alotworse,"heagreed,hisvoicehard.

"Socouldallof it,"Karrderemindedhim,puttinganedgeintohisownvoice.

He could, after all, just as easily have turned the three of them over to the

Imperialsinthefirstplace.

AndSoloknewit."Yeah,"heconceded."Well...solong."

Karrde watched as they got into the airspeeder. "One other thing," he said as

theystrappedin.

"Obviously,we'regoingtohavetopulloutofherebeforetheImperialsfigure

outwhat'shappened.Thatmeansalotofliftingcapacityifwe'regoingtodoit

quickly. You wouldn't happen to have any surplus cargo or stripped-down

militaryshipslyingaroundIcouldhave,wouldyou?"

Solo gave him a strange look. "We don't have enough cargo capacity for the

NewRepublic'snormalbusiness,"hesaid."IthinkImighthavementionedthat

toyou."

"Well,then,aloan,perhaps,"Karrdepersisted."Astripped-downMonCalamari

StarCruiserwoulddonicely."

"I'm sure it would," Solo returned with more than a hint of sarcasm. "I'll see

whatIcando."

The canopy dropped smoothly down over them and sealed in place. Karrde

steppedback,andwithawhineofrepulsorlifts,theairspeederroseintothesky.

Orientingitself,itshotofftowardtheforest.

Karrde watched it go, wondering if that last suggestion had been too little too

late. But perhaps not. Solo was the type to hold debts of honor sacred—

somethinghe'd probably pickedup from hisWookiee friendsomewherealong

theline.IfhecouldfindaspareStarCruiser,he'dlikelysenditalong.

And oncehere,it would be easy enoughtostealfrom whatever handlers Solo

sent with it. Perhaps such a gift would help assuage Grand Admiral Thrawn's

inevitableangeroverwhathadhappenedheretoday.

Butthen,perhapsitwouldn't.

Karrdelookedbackattheruinsofthecollapsedarch,ashiverrunningthrough

him.No,awarshipwasn'tgoingtohelp.Notonthis.Thrawnhadlosttoomuch

heretosimply shrugitoff asthefortunes ofwar.He wouldbeback... and he

wouldbecomingforblood.

Andforperhapsthefirsttimeinhislife,Karrdefelttheunpleasantstirringsof

genuinefear.

Inthedistance,theairspeederdisappearedovertheforestcanopy.Karrdeturned

andgaveHyllyardCityonefinal,lingeringlook.Onewayortheother,heknew

hewouldneverseeitagain.



LukegotLandosettledintooneoftheFalcon'sbunkswhileHanandacouple

ofKarrde'smenbusiedthemselvesoutsidegettingatowcableattachedtotheX-

wing.TheFalcon'smedicalpackagewasfairlyprimitive,butitwasuptothe

task of cleaning and bandaging a blaster burn. A complete healing job would

have to wait until they could get him to a bacta tank, but for the moment he

seemedcomfortableenough.LeavingArtooandThreepiotowatchoverhim—

despitehisprotestationsthathedidn'tneedwatchingoverand,furthermore,had

hadenoughofThreepio—Lukereturnedtothecockpitjustastheshipliftedoff.

"Anyproblemswiththetowcable?"heasked,slidingintothecopilot'sseat.

"Not so far," Han said, leaning forward and looking all around them as the

Falcon cleared the trees. "The extra weight's not bothering us, anyway. We

shouldbeallright."

"Good.Youexpectingcompany?"

"Youneverknow,"Hansaid,givingtheskyonelastlookbeforesettlingback

intohisseatandgunningtherepulsorlifts."Karrdesaidtherewerestillacouple

ofChariotsandafewspeederbikesunaccountedfor.Oneof themmighthave

figured that a last-ditch suicide run was better than having to go back to the

GrandAdmiralandreport."

Lukestaredathim."GrandAdmiral?"heaskedcarefully.

Han'sliptwisted."Yeah.That'swhoseemstoberunningtheshownowforthe

Empire."

A cold chill ran up Luke's back. "I thought we'd accounted for all the Grand

Admirals."

"Me,too.Wemusthavemissedone."

And abruptly, right in the middle of Han's last word, Luke felt a surge of

awarenessandstrengthfillhim.

Asifhewerewakingupfromadeepsleep,orsteppingfromadarkroominto

thelight,orsuddenlyunderstandingtheuniverseagain.

TheForcewasagainwithhim.

Hetooka deepbreath,eyes flickingacrossthecontrolboardforthealtimeter.

Justovertwelvekilometers.Karrdehadbeenright—thoseysalamiridid,indeed,

reinforceoneanother."Idon'tsupposeyougotaname,"hemurmured.

"Karrdewouldn'tgiveitto me,"Han said,throwingacuriousfrown inLuke's

direction. "Maybe we can bargain the use of that Star Cruiser he wants for it.

Youokay?"

"I'm fine," Luke assured him. "I just—it's like being able to see again after

havingbeenblind."

Hansnortedunderhisbreath."Yeah,Iknowhowthatis,"hesaidwryly.

"I guess you would." Luke looked at him. "I didn't get a chance to say this

earlier...butthanksforcomingafterme."

Hanwaveditaway."Nocharge.AndIdidn'tgetachancetosayitearlier—"he

glancedatLukeagain"—butyoulooklikesomethingtheproomdraggedin."

"My wonderful disguise," Luke told him, touching his face gingerly. "Mara

assuresmeit'llwearoffinafewmorehours."

"Yeah—Mara,"Han said."Youand sheseemedto behitting itoff prettywell

there."

Luke grimaced. "Don't count on it," he said. "A matter of having a common

enemy,that'sall.Firsttheforest,thentheImperials."

HecouldsenseHancastingaroundforawaytoaskthenextquestion,decidedto

savehimthetrouble.

"Shewantstokillme,"hetoldtheother.

"Anyideawhy?"

Lukeopenedhismouth...and,tohisownsurprise,closeditagain.Therewasn't

anyparticularreasonnottotellHanwhatheknewaboutMara'spast—certainly

noreasonhecouldthinkof.Andyet,somehow,hefeltastrangelycompelling

reluctancetodoso."It'ssomethingpersonal,"hesaidatlast.

Han threw him an odd look. "Something personal? How personal can a death

markget?"

"It'snotadeathmark,"Lukeinsisted."It'ssomething—well,personal."

Hangazed athim amoment longer,then turnedback tohis piloting."Oh," he

said.

The Falcon hadclearedtheatmospherenow and was gunning for deep space.

Fromthishighup,Lukedecided,theforestlookedratherpleasant."Youknow,I

neverdidfindoutwhatplanetthiswas,"hecommented.

"It's called Myrkr," Han told him. "And I just found out this morning. I think

Karrdemusthavealreadydecidedtoabandontheplace,evenbeforethebattle—

hehadrealtightsecurityarounditwhenLandoandIfirstgothere."

A few minutes later a light flashed on the control board: the Falcon was far

enoughoutofMyrkr'sgravitywellforthehyperdrivetofunction."Good,"Han

nodded at it. "Course's already programmed in; let's get out of here." He

wrapped his hand around the central levers and pulled; and with a burst of

starlines,theywereoff.

"Where are we going?" Luke asked as the starlines faded into the familiar

mottledsky."Coruscant?"

"Alittlesidetripfirst,"Hansaid."IwanttoswingbytheSluisVanshipyards,

seeifwecangetLandoandyourX-wingfixedup."

Lukethrewhim asidewaysglance. "Andmaybefind aStarCruisertoborrow

forKarrde?"

"Maybe," Han said, a little defensively. "I mean, Ackbar's got a bunch of

stripped-downwarshipsferryingstufftotheSluissectoralready.Noreasonwhy

wecan'tborrowoneofthemforacoupleofdays,isthere?"

"Probablynot,"Lukeconcededwithasigh.Suddenly,itfeltreallygoodtojust

sitbackanddonothing.

"IsupposeCoruscantcandowithoutusforafewmoredays."

"Ihopeso,"Hansaid,hisvoiceabruptlygrim."Butsomething'sabouttohappen

backthere.Ifithasn'thappenedalready."

Andhissensewasasgrimashiswords."Maybeweshouldn'tbotherwithSluis

Van,then,"Lukesuggested,feelingasympatheticshiver."Lando'shurting,but

he'snotinanydanger."

Han shook his head. "No. I want to get him taken care of—and you , buddy,

need some downtime, too," he added, glancing at Luke. "I just wanted you to

knowthatwhenwehitCoruscant,we'regoingtohititrunning.SoenjoySluis

Van while you can. It'll probably be the last peace and quiet you'll get for a

while."



In the blackness of deep space, three-thousandths of a light-year out from the

SluisVanshipyards,thetaskforceassembledforbattle.

"The Judicator has just reportedin, Captain," the communications officer told

Pellaeon."Theyconfirmbattleready,andrequestorderupdate."

"Inform Captain Brandei that there have been no changes," Pellaeon told him,

standing at the starboard viewport and gazing out at the shadowy shapes

gathered around the Chimaera , all but the closest identifiable only by the

distinctivepatternsoftheirrunninglights.Itwasanimpressivetaskforce,one

worthy of the old days: five Imperial Star Destroyers, twelve Strike -class

cruisers, twenty-two of the old Carrack -class light cruisers, and thirty full

squadronsofTIEfightersstandingreadyintheirhangarbays.

And riding there in the middle of all that awesome firepower, like someone's

twistedideaofajoke,satthebatteredoldA-classbulkfreighter.

Thekeytothiswholeoperation.

"Status,Captain?"Thrawn'svoicecamequietlyfrombehindhim.

Pellaeon turned to face the Grand Admiral. "All ships are on line, sir," he

reported."Thefreighter'scloakingshieldhasbeencheckedoutandprimed;all

TIEfightersarepreppedandmanned.Ithinkwe'reready."

Thrawn nodded, his glowing eyes sweeping the field of running lights around

them."Excellent,"hemurmured."WhatwordfromMyrkr?"

ThequestionthrewPellaeonoffstride—hehadn'tthoughtaboutMyrkrfordays.

"I don't know, Admiral," he confessed, looking over Thrawn's shoulder at the

communications officer. "Lieutenant—the last report from the Myrkr landing

force?"

The other was already calling up the record. "It was a routine report, sir," he

said."Timelog...fourteenhourstenminutesago."

Thrawn turnedtoface him. "Fourteen hours?" herepeated,his voice suddenly

veryquietandverydeadly."Ileftordersforthemtoreporteverytwelve."

"Yes,Admiral,"thecommmansaid,startingtolookalittlenervous."Ihavethat

orderlogged,righthereontheirfile.Theymusthave..."Hetrailedoff,looking

helplesslyatPellaeon.

Theymusthaveforgottentoreportin,wasPellaeon'sfirst,hopefulreaction.But

itdiedstillborn.

Stormtroopers didn't forget such things. Ever. "Perhaps they're having trouble

withtheirtransmitter,"hesuggestedhesitantly.

ForahandfulofheartbeatsThrawnjuststoodthere,silent."No,"hesaidatlast.

"They'vebeentaken.

Skywalkerwasindeedthere."

Pellaeonhesitated,shookhishead."Ican'tbelievethat,sir,"hesaid."Skywalker

couldn't have taken allofthem.Notwithall those ysalamiri blocking his Jedi

power."

ThrawnturnedthoseglitteringeyesbackonPellaeon."Iagree,"hesaidcoldly.

"Obviously,hehadhelp."

Pellaeonforcedhimselftomeetthatgaze."Karrde?"

"Who else was there?" Thrawn countered. "So much for his protestations of

neutrality."

Pellaeon glanced at the status board. "Perhaps we should send someone to

investigate. We could probably spare a Strike Cruiser; maybe even the

Stormhawk."

Thrawntookadeepbreath,letitoutslowly."No,"hesaid,hisvoicesteadyand

controlledagain."TheSluisVanoperationisourprimaryconcernatthemoment

—andbattleshavebeenlostbeforeonthepresenceorabsenceofasingleship.

Karrdeandhisbetrayalwillkeepforlater."

Heturnedbacktothecommunicationsofficer."Signalthefreighter,"heordered.

"Havethemactivatethecloakingshield."

"Yes,sir."

Pellaeon turned back to the viewport. The freighter, bathed in the Chimera 's

lights,justsattherelookinginnocent."Cloakingshieldon,Admiral,"thecomm

manreported.

Thrawnnodded."Orderthemtoproceed."

"Yes, sir." Moving rather sluggishly, the freighter maneuvered past the

Chimaera,oriented itself towardthedistant sun oftheSluis Van system,and

withaflickerofpseudovelocityjumpedtolightspeed.

"Timemark,"Thrawnordered.

"Timemarked,"oneofthedeckofficersacknowledged.

ThrawnlookedatPellaeon."Ismyflagshipready,Captain?"heaskedtheformal

question.

"The Chimaeraisfully at your command, Admiral,"Pellaeongave the formal

answer.

"Good. We follow the freighter in exactly six hours twenty minutes. I want a

finalcheckfromallships...

andIwantyoutoremindthemonelasttimethatourtaskisonlytoengageand

pindownthesystem'sdefenses.Therearetobenospecialheroicsorriskstaken.

Makethatclearlyunderstood,Captain.

We'reheretogainships,notlosethem."

"Yes,sir."Pellaeonstartedtowardhiscommandstation—

"AndCaptain...?"

"Yes,Admiral?"

TherewasatightsmileonThrawn'sface."Remindthem,too,"headdedsoftly,

"thatourfinalvictoryovertheRebellionbeginshere."

Chapter31

Captain Afyon of the Escort Frigate Larkhess shook his head with thinly

disguisedcontempt,glaringatWedge fromthedepthsofhis pilot'sseat. "You

X-winghotshots,"hegrowled."You'vereallygotitmade—youknowthat?"

Wedgeshrugged, tryinghardnottotakeoffense.It wasn'teasy; butthen, he'd

hadlotsofpracticeinthepastfewdays.AfyonhadstartedoutfromCoruscant

withaplanetary-masschiponhisshoulder,andhe'dbeennursingitthewhole

way.

AndlookingouttheviewportattheconfusedmassofshipscrowdingtheSluis

Vanorbit-dockarea,itwasn'thardtofigureoutwhy."Yeah,well,we'restuck

outhere,too,"heremindedthecaptain.

The other snorted. "Yeah. Big sacrifice. You lounge around my ship like

overpricedtrampersforacoupleofdays,thenflitaroundfortwohourswhileI

trytododgebulkfreightersandgetthisthingintoadockingstationdesignedfor

scavengerpickers.Andthenyoupullyoursnubbiesbackinsideandgobackto

loungingagain.Doesn'texactlyqualifyasearningyourpay,inmybook."

Wedge clamped his teeth firmly around his tongue and stirred his tea a little

harder.Itwasconsideredbadformtomouthbackatseniorofficers,afterall—

evenseniorofficerswho'dlongsincepassedtheirprime.Forprobablythefirst

timesincehehadbeengivencommandofRogueSquadron,heregrettedhaving

passedupalltherestofthepromotionshe'dbeenoffered.Ahigherrankwould

atleasthaveentitledhimtosnarlbackalittle.

Liftinghiscupforacautioussip,hegazedouttheviewportatthescenearound

them.No,heamended—hewasn'tsorryatallthathe'dstayedwithhisX-wing.

If hehadn't,he'd probably be in exactlythe same position as Afyonwasright

now:tryingtoruna920-crewshipwithjustfifteenmen,haulingcargoinaship

meantforwar.

And,likeasnot,havingtoputupwithhotshotX-wingpilotswhosataroundhis

bridgedrinkingteaandclaimingwithperfectjustificationthattheyweredoing

exactlywhatthey'dbeenorderedtodo.

Hehidasmilebehindhismug.Yes,inAfyon'splace,he'dprobablybereadyto

spitbulkheadshavings,too.Maybeheoughttogoaheadandlettheotherdrag

him into an argument, in fact, let him drain off some of that excess nervous

energy of his. Eventually—within the hour, even, if Sluis Control's latest

departureestimatewasanywhereclose—itwouldfinallybetheLarkhess'sturn

togetoutofhereandheadforBpfassh.Itwouldbenice,whenthattimecame,

forAfyontobecalmenoughtohandletheship.

Taking another sip of his tea, Wedge looked out the viewport. A couple of

refittedpassengerlinersweremakingtheirownbreakforfreedomnow,hesaw,

accompaniedbyfourCorellianCorvettes.Beyondthem,justvisibleinthefaint

lightofthe space-lanemarkerbuoys, waswhatlooked likeoneof the slightly

ovoidtransportsheusedtoescortduringtheheightofthewar,withapairofB-

wingsfollowing.

And off to the side, moving parallel to their departurevector,an A-class bulk

freighterwascomingintothedockingpattern.

Withoutanyescortatall.

Wedge watched it creep toward them, his smile fading as old combat senses

began to tingle. Swiveling around in his seat, he reached over to the console

besidehimandpunchedforasensorscan.

It looked innocent enough. An older freighter, probably a knockoff of the

originalCorellianActionIV

design,withthekindofexteriorthatcamefromeitheralifetimeofhonestwork

or else a short and spectacularly unsuccessful career of piracy. Its cargo bay

registeredcompletelyempty,andtherewerenoweaponsemplacementsthatthe

Larkhess'ssensorscouldpickup.

A totally empty freighter. How long had it been, he wondered uneasily, since

he'drunacrossatotallyemptyfreighter?

"Trouble?"

Wedgefocusedonthecaptaininmildsurprise.Theother'sfrustratedangerofa

minute ago was gone, replaced by something calm, alert, and battle-ready.

Perhaps,thethoughtstrayedthroughWedge'smind,Afyonwasn'tpasthisprime

afterall."Thatincomingfreighter,"hetoldtheother,settinghiscupdownonthe

edgeoftheconsoleandkeyingforacommchannel."There'ssomethingaboutit

thatdoesn'tfeelright."

The captain peered out the viewport, then at the sensor scan data Wedge had

pulledup."Idon'tseeanything,"hesaid.

"Me,either,"Wedgehadtoadmit."There'sjustsomething...Blast."

"What?"

"Controlwon'tletmein,"Wedgetoldhimashekeyedoff."Toomuchtrafficon

thecircuitsalready,theysay."

"Allowme."Afyonturnedtohisownconsole.Thefreighterwasshiftingcourse

now, the kindofslowandcareful maneuver that usually indicated a full load.

Butthecargobaywasstillregisteringempty...

"Therewego,"Afyonsaid,glancingatWedgewithgrimsatisfaction."I'vegota

tapintotheirrecordscomputer.Littletrickyouneverlearnflittingaroundinan

X-wing. Let's see now... freighterNartissteu, out of Nellac Kram. Theywere

jumpedbypirates,gottheirmaindrivedamagedinthefight,andhadtodump

their cargo to get away. They're hoping to get some repair work done; Sluis

Control'sbasicallytoldthemtogetinline."

"Ithoughtallthisreliefshippinghadmoreorlesstakenoverthewholeplace,"

Wedgefrowned.

Afyonshrugged."Theoretically.In practice...well,theSluissiare easyenough

totalkintobendingthatkindofrule.Youjusthavetoknowhowtophrasethe

request."

Reluctantly, Wedge nodded. It did all seem reasonable enough, he supposed.

Andadamaged,emptyshipwouldprobablyhandlesomethinglikeanintactfull

one.Andthefreighterwasempty—theLarkhess'ssensorssaidso.

Butthetinglesrefusedtogoaway.

Abruptly, he dug his comlink from his belt. "Rogue Squadron, this is Rogue

Leader,"hecalled.

"Everyonetoyourships."

Hegotacknowledgments,lookeduptofindAfyon'seyessteadyonhim."You

stillthinkthere'strouble?"theotheraskedquietly.

Wedge grimaced, throwing one last look out the viewport at the freighter.

"Probably not. But it won't hurt to be ready. Anyway, I can't have my pilots

sittingarounddrinkingteaallday."Heturnedandleftthebridgeataquickjog.

TheotherelevenmembersofRogueSquadronwereintheirX-wingsbythetime

hereachedtheLarkhess'sdockingbay.Threeminuteslater,theylaunched.

Thefreighterhadn'tmademuchheadway,Wedgesawastheyswungupoverthe

Larkhess'shullandpulledtogetherintoaloosepatrolformation.Oddlyenough,

though, it had moved a considerable distance laterally, drifting away from the

Larkhess and toward a pair of Calamari Star Cruisers orbiting together a few

kilometersaway."Spreadoutformation,"Wedgeorderedhispilots,shiftingto

an asymptotic approach course. "Let's swing by and take a nice, casual little

look."

Theothersacknowledged.Wedgeglanceddownathisnavscope,madeaminor

adjustment to his speed, looked back up again— And in the space of a single

heartbeat,thewholethingwentstraighttohell.

Thefreighterblewup.Allatonce,withoutanywarningfrom sensors,without

anyhintfrompreviousvisualobservation,itjustcameapart.

Reflexively, Wedge jabbed for his comm control. "Emergency!" he barked.

"Shipexplosionnearorbit-dockV-475.Sendrescueteam."

Foran instant,as chunksof thecargo bayflewoutward,hecouldseeintothe

emptinessthere...butevenashiseyesandbrainregisteredtheoddfactthathe

could see into the disintegrating cargo bay but not beyond it— The bay was

suddenlynolongerempty.

One of the X-wing pilots gasped. A tight-packed mass of something was in

there,totallyfillingthespacewheretheLarkhess'ssensorshadreadnothing.A

massthatwasevennowexplodingoutwardlikeahornet'snestbehindthepieces

ofthebay.

A mass that in seconds had resolved itself into a boiling wave front of TIE

fighters.

"Pullup!"Wedgesnappedtohissquadron,leaninghisX-wingintoatightturn

togetoutofthepathofthatdeadlysurge."Comearoundandre-form;S-foilsin

attackposition."

And as they swung around in response, he knew with a sinking feeling that

CaptainAfyon hadbeenwrong. RogueSquadron wasindeedgoing toearn its

paytoday.

ThebattleforSluisVanhadbegun.



They'dclearedtheoutersystemdefensenetworkandthebureaucraticoverload

that passed for Control at Sluis Van these days, and Han was just getting a

bearing on the slot they'd given him when the emergency call came through.

"Luke!"heshoutedbackdownthecockpitcorridor."Gotashipexplosion.I'm

going to go check it out." He glanced at the orbit-dock map to locate V-475,

gavetheshipafractionalturntoputthemontherightvector—Andjerkedinhis

seatasalaserboltslappedtheFalconhardfrombehind.

He had them gunning into a full forward evasive maneuver before the second

shotwentsizzlingpastthecockpit.OvertheroaroftheenginesheheardLuke's

startled-soundingyelp;andasthethirdboltwentpasthefinallyhadachanceto

checktheaftsensorstoseejustwhatwasgoingon.

He almost wished he hadn't. Directly behind them, batteries already engaging

oneoftheSluisVanperimeterbattlestations,wasanImperialStarDestroyer.

He swore under his breath and kicked the engines a little harder. Beside him,

Luke clawed his way forward against the not-quite-compensated acceleration

andintothecopilot'sseat."What'sgoingon?"heasked.

"We just walked into an Imperial attack," Han growled, eyes flying over the

readouts."GotaStarDestroyerbehindus—there'sanotheroneovertostarboard

—lookslikesomeothershipswiththem."

"They'vegotthesystembottledup,"Lukesaid,hisvoiceglaciallycalm.Afar

cry,Hanthought,fromthepanickykidhe'dpulledoffTatooineoutfromunder

Star Destroyer fire all those years back. "I make it five Star Destroyers and

somethingovertwentysmallerships."

Han grunted. "At least we know now why they hit Bpfassh and the others.

Wantedtopullenoughshipsheretomakeanattackworththeirwhile."

The words were barely out of his mouth when the emergency comm channel

suddenlycametolifeagain.

"Emergency! Imperial TIE fighters in orbit-dock area. All ships to battle

stations."

Luke started. "That sounded like Wedge," he said, punching for transmission.

"Wedge?Thatyou?"

"Luke?"theothercameback."Wegottroublehere—atleastfortyTIEfighters

andfiftytruncated-cone-shapedthingsI'veneverseenbefore—"

HebrokeoffasascreechfromtheX-wing'sethericruddercamefaintlyoverthe

speaker."I hopeyou've broughtacouplewingsof fighterswith you,"he said.

"We'regoingtobealittlepressedhere."

LukeglancedatHan."Afraidit'sjustHanandmeandtheFalcon.Butwe'reon

ourway."

"Makeitfast."

Lukekeyedoffthespeaker."IsthereanywaytogetmeintomyX-wing?"he

asked.

"Notfastenough,"Hanshookhishead."We'regoingtohavetodropithereand

goinalone."

Lukenodded,gettingoutofhisseat."I'dbettermakesureLandoandthedroids

arestrappedinandthengetupintothegunwell."

"Take the top one," Han called after him. The upper deflector shields were

runningstrongeratthemoment,andLukewouldhavemoreprotectionthere.

IftherewasanyprotectiontobehadfromfortyTIEfightersandfiftytruncated

flyingcones.

For a moment he frowned as a strange thought suddenly struck him. But no.

Theycouldn'tpossiblybeLando'smissingmoleminers.EvenaGrandAdmiral

wouldn'tbecrazyenoughtotrytousesomethinglikethatinbattle.

Boostingpowertotheforwarddeflectors,hetookadeepbreathandheadedin.



"All ships, commence attack," Pellaeon called. "Full engagement; maintain

positionandstatus."

Hegotconfirmations,turnedtoThrawn."Allshipsreportengaged,sir,"hesaid.

But the Grand Admiral didn't seem to hear him. He just stood there at the

viewport,gazingoutwardattheNewRepublicshipsscramblingtomeetthem,

hishandsgrippedtightlybehindhisback."Admiral?"

Pellaeonaskedcautiously.

"Thatwasthem,Captain,"Thrawnsaid,hisvoiceunreadable."Thatshipstraight

ahead. That was the Millennium Falcon . And it was towing an X-wing

starfighterbehindit."

Pellaeonfrownedpasttheother.Theglowofadrivewasindeedbarelyvisible

pasttheflashinglaserboltsofthebattle,alreadyprettywelloutofcombatrange

andtryinghardtobeevenmoreso.Butastothedesignofthecraft,muchless

itsidentity..."Yes,sir,"hesaid,keepinghistoneneutral."CloakLeaderreports

asuccessfulbreakout,andthatthecommandsectionofthefreighterismaking

its escape to the periphery. They're encountering some resistance from escort

vehicles and a squadron of X-wings, but the general response has so far been

weakanddiffuse."

Thrawntookadeepbreathandturnedawayfromviewport."Thatwillchange,"

hetoldPellaeon,back incontrolagain."Remindhimnot topushhisenvelope

too far, or to waste excessive time in choosing his targets. Also that the

spacetroopermoleminersshouldconcentrateonCalamariStarCruisers—they're

likelyto have thelargest numberofdefenders aboard."Thered eyesglittered.

"AndinformhimthattheMillenniumFalconisonitswayin."

"Yes, sir," Pellaeon said. He glanced out the viewport again, at the distant

fleeingship.TowinganX-wing...?"Youdon'tthink...Skywalker?"

Thrawn'sfacehardened."We'llknowsoon,"hesaidquietly."Andifso,Talon

Karrdewillhaveagreatdealtoanswerfor.Agreatdeal."



"Watchit,RogueFive,"Wedgewarnedasaflashoflaserfirefromsomewhere

behindhimshotpastandnickedthewingofoneoftheX-wingsahead."We've

pickedupatail."

"Inoticed,"theothercameback."Pincer?"

"Onmymark,"Wedgeconfirmedasasecondboltshotpasthim.Directlyahead,

a Calamari Star Cruiser was pulling sluggishly away, trying to get out of the

battle zone. Perfect cover for this kind of maneuver. Together, he and Rogue

Fivedivedunderneathit—"Now."Leaninghardonhisethericrudder,hepeeled

offhardtotheright.RogueFivedidthesamethingtotheleft.ThepursuingTIE

fighterhesitatedbetweenhisdivergingtargetsasplitsecondtoolong;andeven

asheswungaroundtofollowWedge,RogueFiveblewhimoutofthesky.

"Niceshooting,"Wedgesaid,givingtheareaaquickscan.TheTIEfightersstill

seemedtobeeverywhere,butforthemoment,atleast,noneofthemwasclose

enoughtogivethemanytrouble.

Fivenoticedthat,too."Weseemtobeoutofit,RogueLeader,"hecommented.

"Easyenoughtofix,"Wedge toldhim.Hismomentumwas takinghimfarther

undertheStarCruiserthey'dusedforcover.Curvingupandaroundit,hestarted

tospiralbacktowardthemainbattlearea.

HewasjustswingingupalongtheStarCruiser'ssidewhenhenoticedthesmall

cone-shapedthingnestledupagainstthelargership'shull.

Hecranedhisneckforabetterlookasheshotpast.Itwasoneofthelittlecraft

thathadcomeoutwiththeTIEfighters,allright.Sittingpressedupagainstthe

StarCruiser'sbridgeblisterasifitwereweldedinplace.

Therewasabattlegoingonnearby,a battleinwhichhispeoplewerefighting

andverypossiblydying.

ButsomethingtoldWedgethatthiswasimportant."Hangonaminute,"hetold

Five."Iwanttocheckthisout."

His momentum had already taken him to the Star Cruiser's bow. He curved

aroundinfrontoftheship,leaningbackintoaspiralagain—Andsuddenlyhis

canopylitupwithlaserfire,andhisX-wingjoltedlikeastartledanimalbeneath

him.

TheStarCruiserhadfiredonhim.

Inhisear,heheardFiveshoutsomething."Stayback,"Wedgesnapped,fighting

againstasuddendropinpowerandgivinghisscopesaquickscan."I'mhit,but

notbad."

"Theyfiredonyou!"

"Yeah, I know," Wedge said, trying to maintain some kind of evasive

maneuveringwithwhatlittlecontrolhehadleft.Fortunately,thesystemswere

startingtocomebackonlineashisR2unitdidsomefastrerouting.Evenmore

fortunately,theStarCruiserdidn'tseeminclinedtoshootathimagain.

Butwhyhaditfiredinthefirstplace?

Unless...

Hisown R2was toobusywithreroutingchorestohandle anythingelse atthe

moment."RogueFive,Ineedafastsensorscan,"hecalled."Wherearetherest

ofthoseconethings?"

"Hangon,I'llcheck," theotherreplied."Scopeshows... Idon'tfindmorethan

aboutfifteenofthem.

Nearestone'stenkilometersaway—bearingone-one-eightmarkfour."

Wedgefeltsomethinghardsettleintohisstomach.Fifteen,outofthefiftythat

hadbeeninthatfreighterwiththeTIEfighters.Sowherehadtherestofthem

gone?"Let'sgotakealook,"hesaid,turningintoaninterceptvector.

TheconethingwasheadingtowardanotherEscortFrigateliketheLarkhess,he

saw,withfourTIE

fighters running interference for it. Not that there was much potential for

interference— if the Frigate was manned anywhere near as sparsely as the

Larkhess,itwouldhavepreciouslittlechanceoffightingback.

"Let'sseeifwecantakethembeforetheynoticeus,"hetoldFiveastheyclosed

thedistance.

Abruptly, all four TIE fighters peeled off and came around. So much for

surprise."Takethetwoontheright,RogueFive;I'lltaketheothers."

"Copy."

Wedge waited until the last second before firing on the first of his targets,

swingingaroundinstantlytoavoidcollisionwiththeother.Itsweptpastbeneath

him,hisX-wingshudderingasittookanotherhit.Heleanedhardintotheturn,

catchingaglimpseoftheTIEfighterdroppingintoapursuitslotashedidso—

Andsuddenlysomethingshotpasthim,spittinglaserfireandtwistingbackand

aroundinsomekindofinsanevariantonadrunkard's-walkevasivemaneuver.

TheTIEfightercaughtadirecthitandblewintoaspectacularcloudoffierygas.

Wedgefinishedhisturn,justasRogueFive'ssecondtargetfighterdidlikewise.

"Allclear,Wedge,"afamiliarvoicecalledintohisear."Youdamaged?"

"I'mfine,Luke,"Wedgeassuredhim."Thanks."

"Look—there it goes," Han's voice cut in. "Over by the Frigate. It's one of

Lando'smoleminers,allright."

"Iseeit,"Lukesaid."What'sitdoingouthere?"

"Isawone stuckontothe StarCruiser back there,"Wedge told him,swinging

backoncoursefortheFrigate."Lookslikethisone'stryingtodothesamething.

Idon'tknowwhy."

"Whateverit'sdoing,let'sstopit,"Hansaid.

"Right."

It was, Wedge saw, going to be a close race;butitwas quickly clear that the

moleminerwasgoingtowinit.Alreadyithadturneditsbasearoundtowardthe

Frigateandwasstartingtonestleupagainstthehull.

Andjustbeforeitclosedthegapcompletely,hecaughtaglimpseofanacridly

brilliantlight.

"Whatwasthat?"Lukeasked.

"Idon'tknow,"Wedgesaid,blinkingawaytheafterimage."Itlookedtoobright

forlaserfire."

"Itwasaplasmajet,"HangruntedastheFalconcameupalongsidehim."Right

ontopofthebridgeemergencyescapehatch.That'swhattheywantedthemole

minersfor.They'reusingthemtoburnthroughthehulls—"

Hebrokeoff;and,abruptly,heswore."Luke—wegotitbackwards.They'renot

heretowreckthefleet.

"They'reheretostealit."



For a long heartbeat Luke just stared at the Frigate... and then, like pieces

clicking together in a puzzle, it all fell into place. The mole miners, the

undermannedandunderdefendedcapitalshipsthattheNewRepublichadbeen

forcedtopressintoshippingservice,theImperialfleetouttherethatseemedto

bemakingnorealefforttopushitswaypastthesystem'sdefenses—AndaNew

RepublicStarCruiser,moleminerplantedfirmlyonitsside,thathadjustfired

onWedge'sX-wing.

Hetookamomenttoscantheskyaroundhim.Movingwithdeceptiveslowness

throughthecontinuingstarfighterbattle,anumberofwarshipswerebeginning

topullout."We'vegottostopthem,"hetoldtheothers.

"Goodthinking,"Hanagreed."How?"

"Isthereanywaywecangetaboardthemourselves?"heasked."Landosaidthe

mole miners were two-man ships—the Imperials can't possibly have packed

morethanfourorfivestormtroopersineachoneofthem."

"Thewaythosewarshipsaremannedatthemoment,fourstormtrooperswould

beplenty,"Wedgepointedout.

"Yes,butIcouldtakethem,"Lukesaid.

"Onallfiftyships?"Hancountered."Besides,youblastahatchopentovacuum

andyou'llhavepressurebulkheadsclosingallovertheship.Takeyouforeverto

evengettothebridge."

Lukegrittedhis teeth;butHan was right."Thenwe have todisablethem," he

said."Knockouttheirenginesorcontrolsystemsorsomething.Iftheygetoutto

theperimeterandthoseStarDestroyers,we'llneverseethemagain."

"Oh, we'll see them again," Han growled. "Pointed straight back at us. You're

right—disablingasmanyaswecanisourbestshot.We'renevergoingtostop

allfifty,though."

"We don't have fifty to stop, at least not yet," Wedge put in. "There are still

twelvemoleminersthathaven'tattachedthemselvestoships."

"Good—let'stakethemoutfirst,"Hansaid."Yougotvectorsonthem?"

"Feedingyourcomputernow."

"Okay...okay,herewego."TheFalcontwistedaroundandheadedoffinanew

direction."Luke,getonthecommandtellSluisControlwhat'shappening,"he

added."Tellthemnottoletanyshipsoutoftheorbit-dockarea."

"Right." Luke switched channels on the comm; and as he did so, he was

suddenly aware of a slight change in sense from the Falcon 's cockpit. "Han?

Youallright?"

"Huh?Sure.Why?"

"Idon'tknow.Youseemedtochange."

"Ihadhalfagriponsomeidea,"Hansaid."Butit'sgonenow.Comeon,make

thatcall.Iwantyoubackonthequadswhenwegetthere."

The call to Sluis Control was over well before they reached their target mole

miner. "They thank us for the information," Luke reported to the others, "but

theysaytheydon'thaveanythingtospareatthemomenttohelpus."

"Probably don't," Han agreed. "Okay, I see two TIE fighters running escort.

Wedge,youandRogueFivetakethemoutwhileLukeandIhitthemoleminer."

"Gotit,"Wedge confirmed.Thetwo X-wings shotpast Luke's canopy,flaring

apartintointerceptmodeastheTIEfightersbrokeformationandcamearound

tomeettheattack.

"Luke,trytoblowitapartinsteadofdisintegratingit,"Hansuggested."Let'ssee

howmanypeopletheImperialshavegotstuffedinside."

"Gotit,"Lukesaid.Themoleminerwasinhissightsnow.Adjustinghispower

leveldown,hefired.

Thetruncatedconeflaredasthemetaldeadcenteroftheshotboiledawayinto

glowing gas. The rest of the craft seemed intact, though, and Luke was just

liningupforasecondshotwhenthehatchatthetopabruptlypoppedopen.

Andthroughtheopening,amonstrous,robotlikefigurecamechargingout.

"What—?"

"It's a spacetrooper," Han snapped back. "A stormtrooper in zero-gee armor.

Hangon."

HespuntheFalconaroundawayfromthespacetrooper,butnotbeforetherewas

aflashfromaprotuberanceatoptheother'sbackpackandthehullaroundLuke

slammedwithaviolentconcussion.

Hanrolledtheshiparound,blockingLuke'sview,asanotherconcussionrocked

them.

Andthentheywerepullingaway—pullingaway,butwithagonizingslowness.

Lukeswallowedhard,wonderingwhatkindofdamagethey'dtaken.

"Han,Luke—youallright?"Wedge'svoicecalledanxiously.

"Yeah,fornow,"Hancalledback."YougettheTIEfighters?"

"Yes.Ithinkthemoleminer'sstillunderway,though."

"Well,then,blastit,"Hansaid."Nothingcute;justblowitapart.Butwatchout

forthatspacetrooper—he'susingminiatureprotontorpedoesor something.I'm

tryingtodrawhimaway;Idon'tknowifhe'llfallforit."

"He's not," Wedge said grimly. "He's staying right on top of the mole miner.

They'reheadingforapassengerliner—lookslikethey'llmakeit,too."

Hanswore underhis breath."Probablygotafew regularstormtrooper buddies

stillinthere.Allright,Iguesswedothisthehardway.Hangon,Luke—we're

goingtoramhim."

"We'rewhat?"

Luke'slastword was lostin the roarfromthe engines asHan sent theFalcon

flying straight out and then around in a hard turn. The mole miner and

spacetroopercamebackintoLuke'slineofsight—Wedgehadbeenwrong.The

spacetrooperwasn'tstandingbythedamagedmoleminer;hewas,infact,sidling

quickly away from it. The twin protuberances on top of his backpack began

flashing again, and a couple of seconds later the Falcon 's hull began ringing

withprotontorpedoblasts."Getready,"Hancalled.

Luke braced himself, trying not to think about what would happen if one of

those torpedoes hit his canopy—and trying, too, not to wonder if Han could

reallyramthespacetrooperwithoutalsoplowingintothepassengerlinerdirectly

behindhim.Ignoringtheprotonblasts,theFalconcontinuedaccelerating—And

without warning, Han dropped the ship beneaththe spacetrooper's line of fire.

"Wedge:go!"

From beneath Luke's line of sight an X-wing flashed upward, laser cannon

blazing.

Andthemoleminershatteredintoflamingdust.

"Good shot," Han told him, a note of satisfaction in his voice as he veered

underneath the liner, nearly taking the Falcon 's main sensor dish off in the

process."Thereyougo,hotshot—enjoyyourviewofthebattle."

Belatedly, the light dawned. "He was listening in on our channel," Luke said.

"Youjustwantedtodecoyhimintomovingawayfromthemoleminer."

"Yougot it,"Hansaid. "Ifigured he'dtap in—Imperialsalways dowhenthey

can..."

Hetrailedoff."Whatisit?"Lukeasked.

"Idon'tknow,"Hansaidslowly."There'ssomethingaboutthiswholethingthat

keepspokingat me, but Ican'tfigure out whatitis. Never mind. Ourhotshot

spacetrooperwillkeepfornow—let'sgohitsomemoremoleminers."



Itwasjustaswell,Pellaeonthought,thattheywereonlyheretokeeptheenemy

tiedup.The Sluissiandtheir NewRepublicallies wereputtingup one terrific

fight.

Onhisstatusboard,asectionoftheChimera'sshieldschematicwentred."Get

that starboard shield back up," he ordered, giving the sky in that direction a

quickscan. Therewerehalf adozenwarshipsoutthere, allofthemfiringlike

mad, with a battle station in backstop position behind them. If their sensors

showed that the Chimera 's starboard shields were starting to go— "Starboard

turbolasers: focus all fire on the Assault Frigate at thirty-two mark forty,"

Thrawnspokeupcalmly."Concentrateonthestarboardsideoftheshiponly."

The Chimaera gun crews responded with a withering hail of laser fire. The

AssaultFrigatetriedtoswerveaway;butevenasitturned,itsentirestarboard

side seemed to flash with vaporized metal. The weapons from that section,

whichhadbeenfiringnonstop,wentabruptlysilent.

"Excellent,"Thrawnsaid."Starboardtractorcrews:lockonandbringitinclose.

Trytokeepitbetweenthedamagedshieldsandtheenemy.Andbesuretokeep

itsstarboardsidefacingtowardus;theportsidemaystillhaveactiveweapons

andacrewtousethem."

Clearly against its will, the Assault Frigate began to move inward. Pellaeon

watcheditforamoment,thenreturnedhisattentiontotheoverallbattle.Hehad

no doubt the tractor crew would do the job right; they'd shown a remarkable

increase in efficiency and competence lately. "TIE Squadron Four, keep after

thatB-winggroup,"heinstructed."Portioncannon:keepupthepressureonthat

commandcenter."HelookedatThrawn."Anyspecificorders,Admiral?"

Thrawnshookhishead."No,thebattleseemstobeprogressingasplanned."He

turnedhisglowingeyesonPellaeon."WhatwordfromCloakLeader?"

Pellaeon checked the proper display. "The TIE fighters are still engaging the

various escort ships," he reported. "Forty-three of the mole miners have

successfullyattachedtotargetships.Ofthose,thirty-ninearesecureandmaking

for the perimeter. Four are still encountering internal resistance, though they

anticipateaquickvictory."

"Andtheothereight?"

"They've been destroyed," Pellaeon told him. "Including two of those with a

spacetrooperaboard.Oneofthosespacetroopersisfailingtorespondtocomm,

presumablykilledwithhiscraft;theother isstillfunctional.CloakLeader has

orderedhimtojointheattackontheescortships."

"Countermand that," Thrawn said. "I'm quite aware that stormtroopers have

infiniteconfidenceinthemselves,butthatsortofdeep-spacecombatisnotwhat

spacetroopersuitsweredesignedfor.HaveCloakLeaderdetailaTIEfighterto

bringhimout.Andalsoinformhimthathiswingistobeginpullingbacktothe

perimeter."

Pellaeonfrowned."Youmeannow,sir?"

"Certainly, now." Thrawn nodded toward the viewport. "The first of our new

shipswillbeginarrivingwithinfifteenminutes.Assoonasthey'reallwithus,

thetaskforcewillbewithdrawing."

"But..."

"TheRebelforceswithintheperimeterareofnofurtherconcerntous,Captain,"

Thrawnsaidwithquietsatisfaction."Thecapturedshipsareontheirway.With

orwithoutTIEfightercover,there'snothingtheRebelscandotostopthem."



Han brought the Falcon as close as he could to the Frigate's engines without

risking a backwash, feeling the slight multiple dips in ship's power as Luke

repeatedly fired the quads. "Anything?" he asked as they came up around the

otherside.

"Doesn'tlooklikeit,"Lukesaid."There'sjusttoomucharmoroverthecoolant-

feederlines."

Han glanced along the Frigate's course, fighting back the urge to swear. They

werealreadyuncomfortablyclosetotheperimeterbattle,andgettingcloserall

thetime."Thisisn'tgettingusanywhere.

There'sgottobesomewaytotakeoutacapitalship."

"That'swhatothercapitalshipsarefor,"Wedgeputin."Butyou'reright—this

isn'tworking."

Hanpursedhislips."Artoo?—youstillonlinebackthere?"hecalled.

The droid's beeping came faintly up the cockpit corridor. "Go through your

schematicsagain,"Hanordered."Seeifyoucanfindusanotherweakpoint."

Artoo beeped again in acknowledgment. But it wasn't a very optimistic beep.

"He's not going to find anything better, Han," Luke said, echoing Han's own

privateassessment."Idon'tthinkwe'vegotanychoiceleft.I'mgoingtohaveto

gotopsideandusemylightsaberonit."

"That'scrazy,andyouknowit,"Hangrowled."Withoutaproperpressuresuit—

andwithenginecoolantsprayingalloveryouifitworks—"

"Howaboutusingoneofthedroids?"Wedgesuggested.

"Neitherofthemcandoit,"Luketoldhim."Artoohasn'tgotthemanipulative

ability,andIwouldn'ttrustThreepiowithaweapon.Especiallynotwithallthe

high-accelerationmaneuverswe'remaking."

"Whatweneedisaremotemanipulatorarm,"Hansaid."SomethingthatLuke

coulduseinsidewhile..."

He broke off. In a flash of inspiration, there it was—the thing that had been

botheringhimeversincethey'dwalkedintothiscrazybattle."Lando,"hecalled

intotheintercom."Lando!Getuphere."

"I'vegothimstrappedin,"Lukeremindedhim.

"Well,gounstraphimandgethimuphere,"Hansnapped."Now."

Lukedidn'twastetimewithquestions."Right,"hesaid.

"Whatisit?"Wedgeaskedtensely.

Hanclenchedhisteeth."WewerethereonNkllonwhentheImperialsstolethese

mole miners from Lando," he told the other. "We had to reroute our

communicationsthroughsomejamming."

"Okay.So?"

"Sowhyweretheyjammingus?"Hanasked."Tokeepusfromcallingforhelp?

Fromwho?They'renotjammingushere,younotice."

"Igiveup,"Wedgesaid,startingtosoundalittletesty."Why?"

"Becausetheyhadto.Because—"

"Because most of the mole miners on Nkllon were running on radio remote,"

cameatiredvoicefrombehindhim.

Han turned around, to see Lando easing his way carefully into the cockpit,

clearlyrunningathalfspeedbutjustasclearlydeterminedtomakeit.Lukewas

rightbehindhim,asteadyinghandonhiselbow.

"Youheardallthat?"Hanaskedhim.

"Everypartthatmattered,"Landosaid,droppingintothecopilot'sseat."Icould

kickmyselffornotseeingitlongago."

"Me,too.Yourememberanyofthecommandcodes?"

"Mostofthem,"Landosaid."Whatdoyouneed?"

"Wedon'thavetimeforanythingfancy."HannoddedtowardtheFrigate,now

lyingbelowthem."Themoleminersarestillattachedtotheships.Juststart'em

allrunning."

Landolookedathiminsurprise."Startthemrunning?"heechoed.

"You got it," Han confirmed. "All of them are going to be near a bridge or

controlwing—iftheycanburnthroughenoughequipmentandwiring,itshould

knockoutthewholelotofthem."

Landoexhalednoisily,tiltinghisheadsidewaysinafamiliargestureofreluctant

acceptance."You'retheboss,"hesaid,fingersmovingoverthecommkeyboard.

"Ijusthopeyouknowwhatyou'redoing.

Ready?"

Hanbracedhimself."Doit."

Landokeyedafinalsectionofcode...andbeneaththem,theFrigatetwitched.

Notabigtwitch,notatfirst.Butasthesecondspassed,itbecameincreasingly

clearthatsomethingdowntherewaswrong. Themainenginesflickereda few

timesandthendied,amidshortburstsfromtheauxiliaries.Itsdrivetowardthe

perimeter fighting faltered, its etheric control surfaces kicking in and then out

again,striving tochangecourse inrandom directions.Thebig shipfloundered

almosttoahalt.

And suddenly, the side of the hull directly opposite the mole miner's position

eruptedinabrilliantburstofflame.

"It's cut all the way through!" Lando gasped, his tone not sure whether to be

proud or dismayed by his handiwork. A TIE fighter, perhaps answering a

distress call from the stormtroopers inside, swept directly into the stream of

superheatedplasmabefore itcouldmaneuver away. Itemerged from theother

side,itssolarpanelsblazingwithfire,andexploded.

"It'sworking,"Wedgecalled,soundingawed."Look—it'sworking."

HanlookedupfromtheFrigate.Allaroundthem—allthroughouttheorbit-dock

area—shipsthathadbeenmakingfordeepspaceweresuddenlytwistingaround

likemetallicanimalsinthethroesofdeath.

Allofthemwithtonguesofflameshootingfromtheirsides.



For a long minute Thrawn sat in silence, staring down at his status boards,

apparentlyoblivioustothebattlestillragingonallaroundthem.Pellaeonheld

hisbreath,waitingfortheinevitableexplosionofinjuredprideattheunexpected

reversal.Wonderingwhatformthatexplosionwouldtake.

Abruptly, the Grand Admiral raised his eyes to the viewport. "Have all the

remainingCloakForceTIE

fightersreturnedtoourships,Captain?"heaskedcalmly.

"Yes,sir,"Pellaeontoldhim,stillwaiting.

Thrawnnodded."Thenorderthetaskforcetobeginitswithdrawal."

"Ah...withdrawal?"Pellaeonaskedcautiously.Itwasnotexactlytheorderhe'd

beenanticipating.

Thrawnlookedathim,afaintsmileonhisface."Youwereexpecting,perhaps,

thatI'dorderanall-outattack?"heasked."ThatIwouldseektocoverourdefeat

inafrenzyoffalseandfutileheroics?"

"Ofcoursenot,"Pellaeonprotested.

Butheknewdowndeepthattheotherknewthetruth.Thrawn'ssmileremained,

butwassuddenlycold.

"We haven't been defeated, Captain," he said quietly. "Merely slowed down a

bit.WehaveWayland,andwehavethetreasuresoftheEmperor'sstorehouse.

Sluis Van was to be merely a preliminary to the campaign, not the campaign

itself.AslongaswehaveMountTantiss,ourultimatevictoryisstillassured."

Helookedouttheviewport,athoughtfulexpressiononhisface."We'velostthis

particularprize,Captain.Butthat'sallwe'velost.Iwillnotwasteshipsandmen

trying to change that which cannot be changed. There will be many more

opportunitiestoobtaintheshipsweneed.Carryoutyourorders."

"Yes,Admiral,"Pellaeonsaid,turningbacktohisstatusboard,asurgeofrelief

washingthroughhim.Sotherewouldnotbeanexplosion,afterall...andwitha

twinge of guilt, he realized that he should have known better from the start.

Thrawnwasnotmerelyasoldier,likesomanyothersPellaeonhadservedwith.

Hewas,instead,atruewarrior,withhiseyesetonthefinalgoalandnotonhis

ownpersonalglory.

Takingonelastlookouttheviewport,Pellaeonissuedtheordertoretreat.And

wondered,onceagain,whattheBattleofEndorwouldhavebeenlikeifThrawn

hadbeenincommand.

Chapter32

It took a while longer after the Imperial fleet pulled out for the battle to be

officially over. But with the Star Destroyers gone, the outcome was never in

doubt.

The regular stormtroopers were the easiest. Most of them were dead already,

killedwhen Lando's activationof the moleminers hadrupturedthe airsealsof

theirstolenshipsandleftthemopentovacuum,andtherestweretakenwithout

much trouble. The eight remaining spacetroopers, whose zero-gee suits had

allowedthemtokeepfightingaftertheirshipsweredisabled,wereanotherstory

entirely.Ignoring all callsto surrender, theyfannedout throughtheshipyards,

clearly intent on causing as much damage as they could before the inevitable.

Sixwere hunteddownand destroyed;the othertwoeventually self-destructed,

onemanagingtocrippleaCorvetteintheprocess.

Heleftbehindhimashipyardandorbit-dockfacilityinanuproar...andagreat

numberofseverelydamagedmajorships.

"Not exactly what you'd call a resounding victory," Captain Afyon grunted,

surveyingwhatwas left of the Larkhess'sbridge through a pressurebulkhead

viewport as hegingerlyadjusteda battle dressing that had been applied to his

forehead. "Going to take a couple months' work just to rewire all the control

circuits."

"Would you rather the Imperials have gotten it whole?" Han demanded from

behindhim,tryingtoignorehisownmixedfeelingsaboutthiswholething.Yes,

ithadworked...butatwhatcost?

"Notatall,"Afyonrepliedcalmly."Youdidwhatyouhadto—andI'dsaythat

even if my own neck hadn't been on the line. I'm just saying what others will

say: that destroying all these ships in order to save them was not exactly the

optimalsolution."

Han threw a look at Luke. "You sound like Councilor Fey'lya," he accused

Afyon.

Theothernodded."Exactly."

"Well,fortunately,Fey'lya'sonlyonevoice,"Lukeoffered.

"Yeah,butit'saloudone,"Hansaidsourly.

"Andonethatalotofpeoplearestartingtolistento,"Wedgeadded."Including

importantmilitarypeople."

"He'llfindsomewaytoparlaythisincidentintohisownpoliticalgain,"Afyon

rumbled."Youjustwatchhim."

Han's rejoinder was interrupted by a trilling from the wall intercom. Afyon

steppedoverandtappedtheswitch."Afyonhere,"hesaid.

"Sluis Control communications," a voice replied. "We have an incoming call

fromCoruscantforCaptainSolo.Ishewithyou?"

"Righthere,"Hancalled,steppingovertothespeaker."Goahead."

Therewasaslightpause;andthenafamiliarandsorelymissedvoicecameon.

"Han?It'sLeia."

"Leia!"Hansaid,feelingadelightedandprobablyslightlyfoolish-lookinggrin

spreadacrosshisface.Asecondlater,though—"Waitaminute.Whatareyou

doingbackonCoruscant?"

"IthinkI'vetakencareofourotherproblem,"shesaid.Hervoice,henoticedfor

the first time, sounded tense and more than a little ragged. "At least for the

moment."

HanthrewafrownacrosstheroomatLuke."Youthink?"

"Look, that's not important right now," she insisted. "What's important is that

yougetbackhererightaway."

SomethingcoldandhardsettledintoHan'sstomach.ForLeiatobethisupset...

"What'swrong?"

He heard her take a deep breath. "Admiral Ackbar has been arrested and

removedfromcommand.Onchargesoftreason."

The room abruptly filled with a brittlesilence.Han looked in turn at Luke, at

Afyon,at Wedge.Buttheredidn'tseem tobe anythingtosay."I'llbe thereas

soonasIcan,"hetoldLeia."Luke'shere,too—youwantmetobringhim?"

"Yes,ifhecanmanageit,"shesaid."Ackbar'sgoingtoneedallthefriendshe

canget."

"Okay," Han said. "Call me in the Falcon if there's any more news. We're

headingoverthererightnow."

"I'llseeyousoon.Iloveyou,Han."

"Me,too."

Hebroketheconnection,turnedbacktotheothers."Well,"hesaid,tonoonein

particular."Theregoesthehammer.Youcoming,Luke?"

LukelookedatWedge."Haveyourpeoplehadachancetodoanythingwithmy

X-wingyet?"

"Notyet,"Wedgesaid,shakinghishead."Butit'sjustbeenofficiallybumpedto

thetopoftheprioritylist.We'llhaveitreadytoflyintwohours.EvenifIhave

totakethemotivatorsoutofmyownshiptodoit."

LukenoddedandlookedbackatHan."I'llflyintoCoruscantonmyown,then,"

hesaid."LetmejustcomewithyouandgetArtooofftheFalcon."

"Right.Comeon."

"Goodluck,"Afyoncalledsoftlyafterthem.

And yes, Han thought as they hurried down the corridor toward the hatchway

wheretheFalconwasdocked;thehammerwasindeedcomingdown.IfFey'lya

and his faction pushed too hard and too fast—and knowing Fey'lya, he would

almostcertainlypushtoohardandtoofast—"Wecouldbeontheedgeofacivil

warhere,"Lukemurmuredhisthoughtbackathim.

"Yeah,well,we'renotgoingtoletthathappen,"Hantoldhimwithconfidence

he didn't feel. "We haven't gone through a war and back just to watch some

overambitiousBothanwreckit."

"Howarewegoingtostophim?"

Hangrimaced."We'llthinkofsomething."



ToBeContinued...



TableofContents

Start