Sandarie was the first to enter Halyn\u2019s quarters, which was\u00a0what he had expected. The normally lively, energetic Twi\u2019lek looked exhausted instead\u2014even her lekku hung limply, with no perk and no extra motion.<\/p>\n
\u201cHalyn, why did I let you talk me into this?\u201d she said in a low voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you know, in your heart, that you really wanted to.\u201d Halyn let a smile touch his lips. \u201cYou know you didn\u2019t belong in a fighter cockpit or firing a blaster rifle or swinging a zhaboka. This is something that allows you to make a difference and do something that you know is important.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is worse than anything I did for you during the Galactic Civil War,\u201d she said flatly.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoubtful. I mean, it\u2019s not like I\u2019m asking you to infiltrate an Imperial base to check on a captured officer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sandarie snorted. \u201cYou didn\u2019t ask me to do that. You were the captured officer I was checking on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure I asked you to do similarly stupid things.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Twi\u2019lek hung her head. \u201cI don\u2019t know how long I can keep this up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt won\u2019t be forever,\u201d Halyn promised. \u201cJust for a while longer. Besides, I don\u2019t have anyone else I trust that I think could do it better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sandi turned a dark eye on him. If looks could kill<\/em>, he thought, I\u2019d be in a lot of trouble right now.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cFine,\u201d she said. \u201cBut just remember, you owe me for this. You owe me big<\/em>, Halyn. I\u2019m thinking pleasure yacht big.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThese Star Cruisers were built as luxury liners,\u201d Halyn pointed out. \u201cTell you what, after we beat the Vong off, the Cathleen<\/em> is yours. A little hull work, patch together the engines, and you\u2019ll be cruising the stars in absolute style. I mean, I think the only thing bigger in private ownership would be Booster Terrik\u2019s Errant Venture<\/em>, and that wreck of a Star Destroyer couldn\u2019t hold a candle in luxury to a Star Cruiser.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, what, then? I just swing by and pick it up at my convenience?\u201d The Twi\u2019lek\u2019s tone had lightened a bit now.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, you\u2019d be responsible for damages done by the previous owner that are still outstanding,\u201d Halyn deadpanned. \u201cSo once restitution has been paid, you\u2019re free to tow it into orbit and take it wherever you want. No matter how many trips it takes you to get all the pieces out of Rak\u2019Edalin.\u201d<\/p>\n Sandi snorted. \u201cYeah, I heard some bad things about the Cathleen<\/em>\u2019s last commander. He did some stupid things, like belly-flopping a warship into a planet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnything else?\u201d Halyn asked.<\/p>\n The Twi\u2019lek sighed and shook her head. \u201cNo. Just\u2026get me some backup, would you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll see what I can do.\u201d<\/p>\n Halyn watched as the Twi\u2019lek departed. It\u2019s amazing she sticks around and does things like this for me<\/em>, the Zabrak thought. Blood is supposed to be thicker than water, but she\u2019s one of the few utterly reliable people I\u2019ve known for a long time. Of course, she\u2019s about as close to family as a non-Zabrak could possibly get without being adopted into the clan.<\/em> As the door slid shut behind the ex-dancer, another thought occurred to him. Maybe I should fix that. After all, it\u2019s not like we haven\u2019t adopted others into the clan, like Kelta and her daughter.<\/em><\/p>\n He leaned back in his chair, wondering which of his old friends would talk to him next.<\/p>\n The holocomm whined for attention. Halyn turned and answered the call. A hologram slowly focused from a blur of blue-tinted static into a mostly-clear hologram of Allanna Saret. \u201cUl\u2019akhoi,\u201d she greeted him.<\/p>\n \u201cLora,\u201d he greeted her.<\/p>\n She smiled in return, and greeted him in Ul\u2019Zabrak. \u201cLori. I take it you\u2019re alone?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor now,\u201d he said tightly. \u201cThe Yuuzhan Vong are trying to tighten the noose around Rak\u2019Edalin. We are fortifying positions and preparing for the long siege ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you have a tactical update?\u201d<\/p>\n Halyn glanced at the comm board to ensure the transmission was encrypted, plugged a cable into his datapad, and started transferring data. \u201cUploading our current tactical situation and general strategy to you now.\u201d He hesitated. \u201cWhere\u2019s the fleet?\u201d<\/p>\n Allanna\u2019s voice was grim. \u201cWe\u2019re still trying to hook up with one of the major New Republic fleets. We\u2019ve been receiving word that Wedge Antilles at Borleias is putting up a terrific fight against the Vong, but we don\u2019t want to get dragged into someone else\u2019s heroic last stand.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAye. If we wanted to sacrifice the fleet, we could\u2019ve done it here.\u201d He shook his head. \u201cWhat word on the New Republic government?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChief Fey\u2019lya died in a blaze of glory on Coruscant,\u201d Allanna reported. \u201cTook out a bunch of crack Vong drop troops with a suicide bomb. His Advisory Council has tried to usurp power, but there\u2019s a lot of discord about it. Councilor Pwoe has declared himself to be Chief of State and is trying to setup a government at Kuat, but a lot of the surviving Senators are dragging their feet at joining him there.\u201d<\/p>\n Halyn snorted. \u201cA good number of those surviving Senators escaped Coruscant by commandeering New Republic Defense Force warships and fleeing. They\u2019re afraid their toys are going to be taken away if they follow Pwoe.\u201d He shrugged. \u201cIt\u2019s probably for the better if he remains illegitimate; he hates the Jedi, and he\u2019s heir to Fey\u2019lya\u2019s failures.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not in position to comment on that, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot trying to make you.\u201d Halyn shook his head. \u201cBest to keep your nose entirely out of politics, particularly as the fleet admiral for what\u2019s left of the Zabrak Defense Force.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you have orders for me, sir?\u201d Allanna asked.<\/p>\n \u201cJust keep your head down and continue to try to link up with the New Republic. And by the way, I swear, if I find that you\u2019ve had the fleet sitting just outside the system this entire time, I\u2019m going to demote you to deck officer.\u201d<\/p>\n Allanna laughed. \u201cI take it you found out about the gift I left behind?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, Li and Abi\u2019s squadrons ran the blockade while we were engaged. They told me exactly how you disobeyed orders.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothing you wouldn\u2019t have done, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n Halyn mock-glared at her. \u201cYou know, I think I liked it better when you were a quiet, meek little thing that was afraid to say anything for fear she\u2019d offend her hero.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou may have liked it better then, but I wouldn\u2019t make much of an admiral if I were still that way.\u201d<\/p>\n The Ul\u2019akhoi snorted. \u201cOne promotion, and it goes straight to your head.\u201d The door chimed for attention. \u201cAnything else, Admiral Saret?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothing officially, Ul\u2019akhoi,\u201d she said solemnly.<\/p>\n \u201cOff the record, then?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n She hesitated. \u201cAre my children\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSafely here on the Cathleen<\/em>,\u201d Halyn reassured her. \u201cAlong with Kativie\u2019s whelps.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, lori.\u201d<\/p>\n Halyn smiled. \u201cI could do no less for my lora. They\u2019re my kin, too.\u201d His smile faded. \u201cStay safe out there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou, too.\u201d<\/p>\n The hologram faded into a wash of static as Halyn hit the release for his door and pivoted his chair around to see the next visitor.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Abi Ocopaqui stood outside the door as Sandarie exited. She granted the other Twi\u2019lek a slight smile and nod, then turned back to Li Coden.<\/p>\n \u201cSo,\u201d she said slow and low. \u201cWhat the hell is Hal up to?\u201d<\/p>\n Li shrugged. \u201cI don\u2019t know. He always plays things on several levels\u2014that\u2019s how he\u2019s always planned and fought battles. But he usually lets his commanders in on the game so that they have some confidence in him, particularly when some things go wrong.<\/p>\n Abi nodded in agreement. I remember that time on Zephyr Base after Resurrection Squadron got hammered while following his battle plan. Josh Arands and Lucas Benoit-Stark both took a swing at him, in part because their commander hadn\u2019t been in on the plan. That wasn\u2019t the last time, either.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cOn the other hand,\u201d Li continued, \u201che\u2019s hardly infallible. Remember that disaster at Karthakk?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHard to forget,\u201d Abi said dryly. \u201cTrying to impress some corporate bigwigs into manufacturing the new A-wing design for us with that big demonstration run, only to get the deck kicked out from under him by that Imp specialist group, Omega Squadron, and the rebuilt 121st<\/sup> Imperial Fighter Wing. Landed his ass in an Imp hotbox on Talus that we had to spring him from before the Imps could ship him out for proper interrogation.\u201d<\/p>\n Li nodded. \u201cHe didn\u2019t anticipate it, didn\u2019t expect the possibility of betrayal, and had the rest of our fighters completely out of position for support. We lost most of the prototype A-wings and our best chance of getting them manufactured at that time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI remember now,\u201d Abi said slowly. \u201cAfter that disaster, and that string of defeats Omega handed him, no company on the Rim wanted to touch the A-wing design. We wound up building them piecemeal in garages and shops all over the galaxy until Incom finally took the design on after Endor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExactly. That whole period was one defeat piled on top of another.\u201d Li grimaced. \u201cHate to say it, but Iridonia\u2019s looking a lot more like that than any other point in his career.<\/p>\n Abi turned that possibility over in her mind. Lost the orbital battle and let the Vong put up a blockade, put the Rak\u2019Edalin wings out of position to intercept the Vong\u2019s resupply force, allowed the Vong to take a quarter of the city. And, from the look of it, has let a traitor run loose inside his own Council. <\/em>She shook her head. He\u2019s got the necessary ruthless streak he\u2019s going to need to win this war, but he\u2019s not handling details well and it\u2019s piling up. Much more of this and the Defense Force is going to lose respect for him. Once that happens, the Vong will walk all over him.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cHe needs a big victory, doesn\u2019t he?\u201d Abi said at last. \u201cSomething to show everyone that the Vong are beatable. Something to show that the war hasn\u2019t been lost from the moment the Vong setup the blockade.\u201d<\/p>\n Li nodded. \u201cHe also needs to root out this traitor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhich you don\u2019t think he\u2019s doing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot effectively, no. I\u2019ve been talking to a few people, asking questions. Reading between the lines, I\u2019d guess he has Sandarie working to identify whoever his traitor is.\u201d Li shook his head. \u201cI mean, she\u2019s smart enough and pretty enough and definitely loyal, but something like that isn\u2019t her speciality.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Abi agreed. \u201cHal told me a couple of times that she did a bunch of intel gathering for him, but she\u2019s never gotten far into the cloak-and-vibroblade stuff. She\u2019s no Intelligence operative, no matter what she did during the war.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd there\u2019s no one else here who can do it,\u201d Li pointed out. \u201cI mean, we have people like Anishor, who\u2019s a tremendous warrior, and the Jedi, and a bunch of regular military officers from either the past or the present. One thing Iridonia is short on is people like us.\u201d<\/p>\n Abi\u2019s mood darkened further. \u201cYeah, it\u2019s like Hal\u2019s forgotten that defense involves intelligence, not just waiting for the enemy to show up at your doorstep and then<\/em> shooting at them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhich means we\u2019re going to have to root the traitor out,\u201d Abi concluded. \u201cYou and me.\u201d<\/p>\n Li nodded. \u201cAnd it could be anyone. Even the people that Hal says he trusts.\u201d<\/p>\n The Twi\u2019lek curled her hand around the grip of her scatter pistol reflexively. \u201cAnd he very well may not believe us when we tell him.\u201d<\/p>\n The too-thin man\u2019s expression was grim when he nodded. \u201cHe may never forgive us.\u201d<\/p>\n But when we find this traitor, we\u2019re going to have to remove her<\/em>, Abi thought silently. Li knows it, too. Halyn may just be too close to the traitor to find her, and I don\u2019t think Sandi has the skill to do it.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cSo, what do you think?\u201d Li asked. \u201cDo we tell him what we\u2019re doing?\u201d<\/p>\n Abi shook her head. \u201cNo. Beg forgiveness afterwards, if we need to. But it doesn\u2019t pay to tell him\u2014we\u2019ll do it, and deal with the consequences afterwards.\u201d<\/p>\n Li tapped the button on Halyn\u2019s door for admittance, but it didn\u2019t immediately open. \u201cHuh. Wonder what he\u2019s doing?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow are we going to do this?\u201d Abi asked tightly. \u201cWe both agreed to take up some slack positions in Halyn\u2019s elite teams. Those are going to require a lot of time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid you look over the information he sent us?\u201d Li asked.<\/p>\n The Twi\u2019lek shook her head. \u201cI haven\u2019t had time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s still calling in every member of his little war council ever three days,\u201d Li said. \u201cTo get rotating status reports and make modifications to his strategy. When we\u2019re here, we maximize our time here to investigate. As far as I\u2019m concerned, finding the traitor is even more important than any the jobs he\u2019s asking us to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Abi turned back to the door to tap the open button again, but before she could react a female Zabrak brushed past her and straight into the suddenly-open door. The Twi\u2019lek opened her mouth, but before she could speak the door hissed shut again.<\/p>\n \u201cWho was that?\u201d Abi asked.<\/p>\n Li shook his head. \u201cNo idea.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJess, you wanted to see me?\u201d Nisia Eisweep asked.<\/p>\n Halyn frowned at her. \u201cWhere have you been?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSleeping.\u201d She returned his frown with one of her own. \u201cYou should try it, Jess. You look like hell.\u201d<\/p>\n He shrugged. \u201cI\u2019ll sleep when I\u2019m dead.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo what did you want to see me about?\u201d Nisia asked.<\/p>\n He studied her for long moments before answering. She had, long ago, been one of his lieutenants when he was a pirate chieftain, a trusted second who was capable in battle and loyal to his position. Nisia had been no more bloodthirsty than his other lieutenants, though hardly any less. Her skill and dedication had allowed him to place confidence in her, daring to turn his back on her activities while resting assured that she wouldn\u2019t slide a vibroblade into it.<\/p>\n That Nisia seemed, in some ways, to be long gone. Her expression was as tired as every other face he\u2019d seen this morning, save perhaps the two Jedi. Nisia\u2019s eyes, though\u2026<\/p>\n Red-rimmed and bloodshot, but not just from sleep deprivation and weariness. She almost looks like she\u2019s been crying. But why would she\u2026? Lenn? It\u2019s hardly Nisia\u2019s style to become attached. Maybe she\u2019s just been afraid she\u2019s going to die here.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI have a special task for you,\u201d he said carefully. \u201cOne that\u2019s important for Iridonia\u2019s immediate and future survival.\u201d<\/p>\n She quirked an eyebrow at him. \u201cSure that\u2019s something you want to assign to me and not little Kat or the big Wookiee?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I think you\u2019re especially suited for it,\u201d Halyn riposted as he leaned back in his seat. \u201cIt may not be robbing someone blind, but you\u2019re more comfortable with galactic scum than anyone else I have available here, except maybe Abi. And make no mistake, this mission will have plenty of scum to deal with.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you want me to do?\u201d Nisia asked, leaning forward in interest now. \u201cYou\u2019ve definitely got my attention, Jess.\u201d<\/p>\n Halyn smiled sweetly. \u201cI want you to hand-pick a team from the troops we have guarding the Cathleen<\/em>\u2014no more than twenty or thirty\u2014and raid one of our armories. I\u2019d advise going heavy on E-Web heavy repeating blasters and don\u2019t waste time with light arms.\u201d<\/p>\n Nisia smiled. \u201cThis is sounding fun already. Where do the scum come in?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen you\u2019ll take your equipment and team, and hole up in the Council meeting chamber. I want you to turn that building into a fortress that the Vong can\u2019t penetratrate.\u201d<\/p>\n The pirate\u2019s visage twisted in shock.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you hole up, I need you to pin the Council down there, too. I don\u2019t doubt that the damned Lusps are plotting some way to remove me from power right now, and I can\u2019t afford that. So lock it down tight, keep the politicians under guard there, and don\u2019t let them leave. The Vong will be hitting the Council soon, I\u2019m sure, and I don\u2019t want any possibility of them getting killed.\u201d<\/p>\n Nisia shook her head disbelievingly. \u201cYou always come up with the weirdest plans, Jess.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Council chamber should be easy to fortify,\u201d Halyn continued. \u201cThere\u2019s nice big open spaces around it that should let you set up kill zones. We\u2019ve got plenty of starfighters to keep the Vong from strafing you to death, and they can\u2019t get any of their big artillery that far into the city.\u201d He smiled. \u201cSo when the Vong come, just keep cutting them down.\u201d<\/p>\n She snorted. \u201cSure. Here I was hoping you were sending me off to Hutt space or someplace fun<\/em>, but instead you\u2019re stick me in a room with a bunch of politicians that\u2019ll make me look like a saint. Next time you call, Jess, and promise me interesting work, I\u2019m going to say no<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf I hadn\u2019t called you, you\u2019d be asleep in some freighter bunk somewhere. You have to admit, Nisia, I\u2019ve made your life way more interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cInteresting, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, of the \u2018We\u2019re all going to die\u2019 persuasion.\u201d Halyn leaned forward. \u201cCan you do it?\u201d<\/p>\n Nisia nodded. \u201cShouldn\u2019t be a problem. Can I shoot the politicians?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOnly one or two. We\u2019re going to need the rest after we\u2019ve driven the Vong off.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll make sure I pick my targets carefully, then.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sandarie was the first to enter Halyn\u2019s quarters, which was\u00a0what he had expected. The normally lively, energetic Twi\u2019lek looked exhausted instead\u2014even her lekku hung limply, with no perk and no extra motion. \u201cHalyn, why did I let you talk me … Continue reading