There were days Sandarie Coron hated Halyn Lance. They had been friends for years\u2014only a handful of people outside his own family had known him longer by any significant amount of time. In those years, when he had been around and active in her life, she had known immense joy, blood-chilling fear, and nova-hot anger. The Zabrak had always been a man of extremes, in her eyes: never stable, never conservative, but always in trouble, always in an adventure, and never, ever boring.<\/p>\n
But sometimes, he managed to take her off-guard, like when he gave her the special \u201cassignment\u201d she now found herself undertaking.<\/p>\n
Damn you, Halyn Lance. You know I don\u2019t do this sort of thing.<\/em><\/p>\n Reluctantly, she could admit\u2014to herself, at least\u2014that he had good reason for giving her this task. She was hardly the warrior that Halyn himself or Anishor or the Jedi were; she was not a tactician like Kryi Rinnet or Nisia Eisweep; she was not an Intelligence spook like Abi Ocopaqui or Li Coden.<\/p>\n But<\/em>, she thought as a stuffed animal bounced off a lek, being reduced to babysitting is not what I had in mind when I came here to help.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cDuck, Aunt Sandi!\u201d one of the Zabrak children yelled belatedly. The blue-skinned Twi\u2019lek released a long-suffering sigh.<\/p>\n \u201cDurul Sanshir,\u201d she said, low and slow, \u201cyou can\u2019t possibly tell me that was an accident.\u201d<\/p>\n The twelve-year-old Zabrak boy looked at her with a very serious expression. \u201cThat was an accident, Aunt Sandi.\u201d<\/p>\n The Twi\u2019lek stared down Allanna\u2019s child. \u201cReally, Durul?\u201d<\/p>\n A soft rubber ball bounced off the back of her head. \u201cThat wasn\u2019t!\u201d Bluth Lusp\u2019s voice called cheerfully.<\/p>\n Sandi spun on the eldest of Kativie\u2019s daughters. \u201cHey!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAunt Sandi? Can\u2019t we go do<\/em> something?\u201d Vyshtal Lusp asked. Kativie\u2019s third child was tapping his foot restlessly, leaning against the bulkhead beside the chamber\u2019s only door. \u201cI hate just sitting here all the time. We should be out fighting, too!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re too young to fight,\u201d Kadrol Sanshir, Allanna\u2019s youngest child, spoke up. Five years old, she was solemnly clutching a stuffed animal, seated cross-legged next to Nop, the eldest of Kativie\u2019s children. Sandarie was surprised to note the pairing\u2014Nop was eager to get out and fight and earn his jato and adulthood.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are, yes,\u201d Nop agreed and patted her head. \u201cNot all of us are too young, though.\u201d<\/p>\n Sandarie rubbed her eyes. Eight Sanshir kids are about seven too many for one Twi\u2019lek to take care of<\/em>, she thought in dismay. I always expected Kativie\u2019s children to run wild, but I thought Allanna and Argus would have more\u2026disciplined\u2026kids.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cExactly!\u201d Vyshtal shouted. \u201cAnd I\u2019m a Jedi\u2014they need me out there!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re not a Jedi,\u201d Nop retorted. \u201cMom says you\u2019ll be as old as she is before you\u2019re a Jedi.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid not!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid too!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cKids!\u201d Sandarie said sharply, almost snarling the word. That<\/em> got their attention; eight pairs of eyes looked up at the Twi\u2019lek. \u201cYou\u2019re staying here, where it\u2019s safe, until it\u2019s your turn to fight. And it won\u2019t be your turn for a long time,\u201d she added, glaring at Nop and Vyshtal in return.<\/p>\n Sylvyi and Sash, twin girls and Kativie\u2019s youngest, were conspicuously quiet. Sandarie turned to see them, saw the door hiss open as they attempted to make their escape. They bounced off the legs of a much larger Zabrak in their haste, falling back into the room on their butts.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you brats know you\u2019re supposed to listen to Aunt Sandi?\u201d Edlin Sanshir asked.<\/p>\n Sandi smiled gratefully at the eldest surviving Sanshir of his generation. \u201cThank you, Edlin,\u201d she said. \u201cGood to see you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou, too, Aunt Sandi,\u201d he said as he crossed the room to give the Twi\u2019lek a hug.<\/p>\n Sandarie frowned at his expression. He looks tired. No, not tired. Weary, maybe. And\u2026disappointed?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cCan we talk?\u201d Edlin asked her. He glanced around at the Zabrak children. \u201cAway from the brats.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not brats!\u201d Vyshtal protested.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, brats,\u201d Edlin repeated. \u201cAll of you, shoo. Into the other room!\u201d<\/p>\n With half-hearted grumbling and protests, the Zabrak children picked up and moved into the adjoining chamber. Sandi was grateful for the move\u2014there was only one hatch into the spacious quarters that\u2019d been given over to the Sanshir and Lusp children, and they\u2019d have to get past Sandi to reach it.<\/p>\n When the children had cleared the room, Sandi looked back at her \u201cnephew\u201d. She had watched him grow up with the rest of Allanna and Kativie\u2019s children and saw him through the eyes of an adult watching a juvenile. It was almost shocking to see his jato; she had not seen him since before his trials, and the very adult markings were a stark contrast to his youth.<\/p>\n He looks so very much like both Argus and Halyn<\/em>, she decided. The nose, the darkened skin were very much Argus. The intense emerald eyes, the dark jato pattern\u2014those were pure Halyn. For a moment, Sandarie wondered if it would be his destiny to carry on the family tradition of war and service that his father, uncle, and aunt had all been called to\u2014the path of a Zabrak warrior and hero.<\/p>\n She nearly laughed aloud at the thought. I\u2019ve been spending too much time with the Jedi and Anishor<\/em>, she decided. I\u2019m almost starting to sound like them.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no secret assignment, is there?\u201d Edlin asked quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d Sandi asked with a frown. \u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUncle Halyn just maneuvered me out of the way,\u201d Edlin said disgustedly. \u201cI asked him for an important assignment, and he shuffled me off.\u201d<\/p>\n Sandi\u2019s eyes widened in realization. \u201cHe sent you to help me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d the Zabrak said in irritation. \u201cHe told me that he had an important, secret assignment that you needed help with. He made it sound like it was critical to the survival of Iridonia.\u201d<\/p>\n The Twi\u2019lek sighed and rubbed her cheeks wearily. \u201cWell, as far as he\u2019s concerned, this is<\/em> critical to the defense of Iridonia,\u201d she suggested.<\/p>\n Edlin frowned. \u201cHow so?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy do you think Halyn is out there, fighting this war?\u201d she asked gently.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause he\u2019s the hero,\u201d the young Zabrak said gruffly. \u201cIt\u2019s what he and Dad and Aunt Kat have always done. They fight and keep everyone else safe and make themselves famous.\u201d<\/p>\n Sandi shook her head. \u201cMaybe at the beginning, that\u2019s why they did it. But by the time I met your uncle during the Civil War, he was past that point.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d Edlin\u2019s voice was curious, and Sandarie found herself wondering how much the Sanshir kids really knew of their family\u2019s exploits during the heyday of the Galactic Civil War.<\/p>\n \u201cI actually met him at a party,\u201d Sandi admitted.<\/p>\n \u201cUncle Halyn. At a party.\u201d Edlin\u2019s jaw was dropped. \u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally.\u201d Sandarie barely restrained a laugh. \u201cBack then, he was a fighter pilot, and he knew as well as anyone that he was one engagement away from death at any given time. Most of the pilots I knew then were the same way\u2014they understood that they could die at any time, so they were going to live while they could.\u201d<\/p>\n Edlin shook his head. \u201cI just can\u2019t imagine\u2026\u201d his voice trailed off.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t know who he was then,\u201d Sandi continued her story. \u201cI spent most of the night talking with one of the pilots under his command, and he didn\u2019t identify Halyn to me then either. Probably because of the price on Halyn\u2019s head by then\u2014until they knew who I was and knew I could be trusted, none of his people would risk accidentally putting him at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo Uncle Halyn was already a General by then?\u201d<\/p>\n Sandi nodded. \u201cThough he hated wearing the uniform. Anyway, I didn\u2019t get a chance to really meet him until several weeks later. He\u2019d been shot down and captured by the Empire, and the Rebels needed to get someone inside to find out if he was still alive. I was a civilian with no ties to the Rebellion and solid credentials, so they asked me\u2014who they barely knew\u2014to find out what I could.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you got him out of prison?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. I just found out that he was still alive and holding out against the Empire\u2019s interrogators.\u201d An involuntary shiver ran through both lekku as she remembered those dark days: Imperial Inquisitor Paige Avion and his apprentice, Suuzanne Crazton, who would later play a much larger role in the Sanshir famly\u2019s struggles. But of that, she said nothing\u2014some things weren\u2019t her place to explain. \u201cAfter I confirmed he was still there and still alive, his starfighter wing and a ground squad launched an attack to break him out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd succeeded,\u201d Edlin added.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd succeeded,\u201d Sandi confirmed. \u201cAs he was recovering at Zephyr Base, I got to meet him for the first time. Well, not really the first time, but it was the first time we were both capable of coherent speech.\u201d<\/p>\n Edlin laughed as he bent down to pick up a discarded toy. Without looking, he flicked it into the adjoining room\u2019s doorway, drawing a surprised squeal from one of the kids trying to eavesdrop. \u201cSo what does that have to do with this<\/em> critical assignment?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI learned a lot about Halyn in those early days,\u201d the Twi\u2019lek said softly. \u201cAt the time, he never thought he\u2019d see his family again, never thought he\u2019d step foot on Iridonia. Back then, we thought fighting the Empire would be a generational battle. So, for him, his pilots at Zephyr Base were his family. And he did everything he could to protect them.\u201d She remembered too-vividly his expressions after disastrous missions, even sometimes after successful runs. \u201cLike any commander, he never could bring them all home alive, and sometimes he was forced to issue orders he knew would kill some of his own people. But\u2026\u201d she shrugged. \u201cThere was a reason he never rose past the rank of general and the role of starfighter wing commander.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d Edlin asked, his full attention clearly on the story.<\/p>\n \u201cHe had lots of reasons for it,\u201d Sandi admitted. \u201cHe thought it had to do with his race and homeworld\u2014after all, Iridonia had been a perennial enemy of the Republic whenever war broke out with the Sith. Sometimes he thought it had to do with position\u2014the commander of an Outer Rim fighter wing isn\u2019t a prestigious role. But I always thought it was because of how he commanded.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMeaning?\u201d the Zabrak prompted.<\/p>\n \u201cMeaning he sacrificed objectives for people,\u201d Sandi explained. \u201cHis concern was for lives, not military objectives. If the objective overlapped with lives, he had no problem fulfilling it, but if an objective was going to cost lives for no gain, he wouldn\u2019t hesitate to throw the objective away if he thought it wasn\u2019t worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n Edlin\u2019s voice was tinged with suspicion. \u201cWas that really the way it was?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d Sandi confirmed.<\/p>\n \u201cThen why is Uncle Halyn fighting so differently now?\u201d he asked. \u201cWe\u2019re losing hundreds or thousands of warriors every day fighting the scarheads face-to-face. I\u2019ve seen the deployments\u2014Uncle Halyn is grinding down our own people as much as he is the Vong. He\u2019s sacrificed every opportunity to retreat and save lives.\u201d<\/p>\n The Twi\u2019lek arched an eyebrow in surprise. \u201cYou\u2019re very perceptive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a Sanshir,\u201d he said, as thought it explained everything.<\/p>\n And in a way, it does<\/em>, Sandi thought. A family doesn\u2019t become a major player in a world\u2019s politics for generations if only a few of them can think ahead and anticipate and see the bigger pictures.<\/em> \u201cYes, you are.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo why, then?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe haven\u2019t talked about it directly,\u201d Sandi hedged. \u201cBut I think I know why.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy, then?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Yuuzhan Vong are different than the Empire,\u201d she said, not able to stop a shiver from running through her lekku, sending them twitching and swaying. \u201cThey\u2019ve never shown any willingness towards mercy, or any capability of anything we\u2019d call good. They target and kill refugees, sacrifice millions to their gods, destroy and remake entire worlds. If they win here, they could wipe out Zabraks entirely as the galaxy knows them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo the sacrifice is necessary for the victory,\u201d Edlin said in a low voice.<\/p>\n Sandi nodded. \u201cThat\u2019s my perspective on it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen why is he holding me back?\u201d he asked. \u201cIf what you\u2019re saying is true, he should be letting me out on the front lines to do my part.\u201d<\/p>\n The Twi\u2019lek shrugged. \u201cThat, I don\u2019t know. So, will you stay and help me watch the kids?\u201d She gave him a smile. \u201cThey\u2019re a bit much for one Twi\u2019lek to manage.\u201d<\/p>\n Edlin nodded slowly. \u201cYes, I\u2019ll stay, Aunt Sandi. At least until I can convince Uncle Halyn to assign me to the front.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood. Go look after them,\u201d she said with a smile. \u201cI just need a few moments to breathe before I go in there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlright,\u201d Edlin said with a small smile. \u201cHey brats!\u201d he yelled into the other room as he walked forward. \u201cWho\u2019s up for a game?\u201d<\/p>\n Sandi\u2019s smile faded as she watched as Edlin was rushed by the Sanshir and Lusp kids, unable to completely banish a terrible thought that haunted her. She tried to push it away, but it clung tenaciously to her mind. Halyn\u2019s been willing to make the hard sacrifice. Is he keeping his own family here, out of the way, so they don\u2019t bear repercussions for the sacrifices he\u2019s making? He could very well destroy himself to keep Iridonia free, if his family wouldn\u2019t bear the responsibility\u2014Is that his plan?\u00a0That could be why he sent Kativie out to the front lines, too. If she\u2019s there, their enemies can\u2019t claim she had a hand in his decisions, no matter how things proceed. If he\u2019s planning on sacrificing himself, he\u2019s done a very good job of getting his family clear of the aftermath.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Li tried to hide a wince as he and Anishor walked into the Cathleen<\/em>\u2019s command center. The big Wookiee had assumed a predator\u2019s stalk. He\u2019s probably not even aware of it<\/em>, Li decided. Even though it clearly marks us. Halyn would have to be blind to miss the fact that we\u2019re up to something. Somehow I doubt New Republic Intelligence will ever recruit him for work.<\/em><\/p>\n The starfighter coordinator\u2019s post was on the far side of the bridge, surrounded by multiple tactical displays and holograms, along with complex communications equipment. The role of starfighter commander was critical\u2014in the past forty years of warfare, the value of a handful of pilots in the right place at the right time had turned routs into victory, while mistakes by even a single squadron had cost fleets heavy losses.<\/p>\n Their target was indeed there, surrounded by floating holographic indicators of Rak\u2019Edalin\u2019s fighter wings. The Zabrak female\u2019s hair was woven into a single tight braid on the top of her head; much of her scalp was bare save for a crown of vestigial horns.<\/p>\n Li squinted at her as he and Anishor approached her. That\u2026doesn\u2019t look like the traitor Nylah. Not even a little. I mean, she\u2019s a female Zabrak, but\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cAnishor,\u201d he hissed. \u201cAbort run.\u201d<\/p>\n The Wookiee turned off flawlessly and approached Halyn, who was sitting\u2014for the moment\u2014in the command chair in the center of the Cathleen<\/em>\u2019s bridge.<\/p>\n \u201cFurball,\u201d Halyn said without looking up from the datapad in his hands.<\/p>\n <Coatrack,> Anishor rumbled. <How does the battle proceed?><\/p>\n \u201cAs it has every day,\u201d the Zabrak griped. \u201cThey attack, and we hold the lines. They attack over mounds of their own dead, and erode our positions.\u201d<\/p>\n <They worry away at your defenses as a river cuts into a riverbank,> Anishor observed.<\/p>\n Li wondered briefly how long he could stand beside Anishor before Halyn or, worse yet, Kryi Rinnet would ask him why he wasn\u2019t strapped into a starfighter screaming over Rak\u2019Edalin exchanging fire with coralskippers. He hadn\u2019t had time to work on an answer yet when Halyn abruptly rose from the command chair and started walking towards the turbolift from which Anishor and Li had come.<\/p>\n \u201cWalk with me,\u201d Halyn said in a low voice.<\/p>\n The New Republic Intelligence agent fell into step beside his old friend, Anishor immediately following them like a furry boulder.<\/p>\n The Ul\u2019akhoi was silent until the door to the turbolift hissed close. The lift had barely started to move when Halyn hit the stop button. The lift squealed in protest at the abuse, but the he ignored it.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat the hell are you two doing?\u201d he asked without preamble.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <We\u2026><\/p>\n \u201cIs there a reason you were making a beeline for my starfighter coordinator?\u201d Halyn asked sharply. \u201cIn case you haven\u2019t noticed, Kryi\u2019s role is a bit important in this. You know, keeping the Vong from getting steady resupplies, aerial support for our troops, that sort of thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Anishor sighed. <Coatrack, we\u2026><\/p>\n \u201cNo, Anishor, let me,\u201d Li interrupted, drawing a surprised look from both Halyn and Anishor. \u201cI\u2019ve been investigating the traitor since I arrived,\u201d he explained. \u201cI don\u2019t know what you\u2019ve got Sandi doing, but this is well outside her area of expertise. And dammit, Hal, you should\u2019ve\u00a0 asked me and Abi to do it as soon as we told<\/em> you there was a traitor.\u201d<\/p>\n Halyn\u2019s expression was unreadable. \u201cIt wouldn\u2019t have mattered if I asked you to or not.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you knew we were going to investigate, then why not just give us the assignment?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause I had other things for you to do. Other important<\/em> things.\u201d Halyn sighed. \u201cSo tell me, what did you find out?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe know the traitor is a female Zabrak, and we\u2019re pretty sure she\u2019s in your inner circle given the information she gave to the Vong, and what she said when we escorted her in.\u201d Li recounted the information methodically. \u201cI know your methods pretty well, even after all these years. The people you trust, you trust absolutely, with information you probably shouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard for my people to do their jobs when they don\u2019t understand what\u2019s going on,\u201d Halyn answered.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not trying to argue your methods,\u201d Li countered. \u201cAfter all, they\u2019ve worked for you pretty well up until this point.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPretty well?\u201d Halyn repeated.<\/p>\n \u201cNow\u2019s not the time to get into your military record,\u201d Li said in exasperation.<\/p>\n <Please, listen, Coatrack,> Anishor said. <You know this is important.><\/p>\n Halyn waved a dismissive hand, but quieted.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a small possibility that it could be a spouse or a close friend of someone inside your inner circle,\u201d Li continued, \u201cbut your inner circle\u2019s pretty small. There\u2019s no one married to a female Zabrak among those Abi and I figured you trust, so your information isn\u2019t likely leaking that way.\u201d<\/p>\n Halyn waved his hand in a circle impatiently, as though prompting Li to get on with it. The Intelligence agent wouldn\u2019t be rushed, though. If he\u2019s going to understand why we\u2019re reasoning the way we are, he has to hear this all.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThat leaves three likely candidates for your traitor. Allanna Saret, Nisia Eisweep, and Kryi Rinnet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy fleet admiral, my oldest living friend outside of my family, and my starfighter commander,\u201d Halyn said dryly. \u201cIt\u2019s amazing we\u2019re not all dead yet, or that I haven\u2019t been killed in my sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot funny,\u201d Li growled before he restrained himself. \u201cAbi and I both had face-to-face contact with the traitor, so I felt confident in my ability to identify her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFelt?\u201d Halyn repeated.<\/p>\n \u201cAbi and I met Allanna Saret aboard the Cyclone.<\/em> I\u2019m fairly certain she wasn\u2019t the traitor. Abi and I both agreed her demeanor and features were too unlike Nylah to consider her a possibility. Given her history with the Rebel Alliance and Sandarie Coron, as well as,\u201d Li coughed into his hand, \u201cher family, we\u2019re believed the chances of her being a traitor were extremely low.\u201d He shrugged uncomfortably at the pointed stare from Halyn. \u201cSorry, I had to do my job.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re not forgiven.\u201d<\/p>\n Li winced at that. He doesn\u2019t like anyone digging at anything involving his family. Of course, back in the war when we flew together, there wasn\u2019t any family around for him to be protective of.<\/em> \u201cOf the remaining two, there\u2019s Nisia Eisweep, who\u2019s a known criminal and pirate, and the other is a decorated Alliance ace pilot from the Civil War.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGiven that, why aren\u2019t you chasing Nisia down right now and trying to get a confession out of her at blasterpoint?\u201d Halyn asked irritably. \u201cAfter all, I clearly can\u2019t pick my own friends and allies.\u201d<\/p>\n Anishor cuffed Halyn with a huge furred paw. <Listen, Coatrack. You know better than to become defensive. Li speaks out of necessity, not spite.><\/p>\n \u201cAbi and I made visual contact with Nisia,\u201d Li continued, a bit defensively now. \u201cOf Nisia and Kryi, we believed her to more likely be the traitor given her background. Visually, though, she wasn\u2019t Nylah\u2014both Abi and I agreed on that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, you came onto the Cathleen<\/em>\u2019s bridge to execute Kryi?\u201d Halyn asked, his voice hard and unyielding as durasteel. Or Iridonia itself<\/em>, Li thought with a faint bit of humor. They\u2019re sure not yielding to the Yuuzhan Vong.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cNot execute, make a visual identification,\u201d Li corrected. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to kill anyone. I only want to root out the traitor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo what did you find?\u201d Halyn asked.<\/p>\n \u201cKryi doesn\u2019t look like Nylah, either,\u201d Li said with a helpless shrug. \u201cBut I wasn\u2019t sure if she could be a Yuuzhan Vong infiltrator in disguise.\u201d<\/p>\n <She\u2019s not a Yuuzhan Vong,> Anishor contradicted. <Her aura is that of a Zabrak. I can smell it on her.><\/p>\n \u201cBut is she Kryi?\u201d Li asked. \u201cI mean, you knew her during the Civil War after I transferred out of Zephyr Base.\u201d<\/p>\n Anishor grimaced. <It is difficult for me to say,> he said slowly. <I did not know her well. She briefly flew a B-wing under my command, but she also spent time flying both A-wings and X-wings for other squadrons in the wing. She didn\u2019t truly come into her own as a pilot until after she transferred to the fleet after Endor and started racking up kills.><\/p>\n \u201cYou just admitted she wasn\u2019t a Vong,\u201d Halyn stated flatly. \u201cAnd her features haven\u2019t changed that much since Endor.\u201d<\/p>\n <She may not be a Vong, but she could still be in an ooglith masquer,> Anishor pointed out. <Perhaps her identity as Nylah is her true self, and she has taken Kryi\u2019s place.><\/p>\n \u201cExcept she\u2019s a damned good starfighter coordinator,\u201d Halyn protested. \u201cYou can\u2019t fake skills like that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe it is the real Kryi, but she wore the masquer when meeting with the Vong,\u201d Li suggested. \u201cThat would explain the appearance difference.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat would mean any of the three could still be the traitor,\u201d Halyn said in exasperation. \u201cSo really, you\u2019re telling me right now you have nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot nothing,\u201d Li said irritably. \u201cThere\u2019s possible motivation for all three.\u201d<\/p>\n The Zabrak rolled his eyes up towards the ceiling. \u201cWhat motivations would those be?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMoney and love,\u201d Li said. \u201cThe reasons for any crime.\u201d<\/p>\n Halyn raised an eyebrow.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know whoever the traitor is will be paid, and well-paid, by the Vong, as long as she\u2019s smart enough to keep her distance and not let the Vong execute her.\u201d Li shrugged. \u201cI can\u2019t imagine that a traitor in your inner circle would be so dumb as to let the Vong kill her easy.\u201d He rolled his shoulders, trying to work out some tension. \u201cNisia was a pirate, and they\u2019re not known for much motivation beyond profit. It\u2019ll also do for Kryi.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019d sell out her race for money, when she spent years fighting for them?\u201d Halyn asked skeptically.<\/p>\n <She\u2019s hardly wealthy,> Anishor said. <She may also harbor some resentment towards you and other heroes of Iridonia\u2019s rebellion against the Empire. You\u2019ve become famous, where she is still little-known among even her own people. She also has no family, so her ties to you and to this world are weaker.><\/p>\n \u201cAnd Allanna?\u201d Halyn shook his head. \u201cCan\u2019t imagine she sold out for money.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor love,\u201d Li said. \u201cWhat if Argus is still alive?\u201d<\/p>\n That<\/em> speculation brought a look of shock to Halyn\u2019s face. \u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, hang with me on this,\u201d Li said. \u201cIf Argus was still alive, Allanna\u00a0would do pretty much anything to save him, wouldn\u2019t she?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI thought you said when you and Abi escorted her to meet the Vong that she indicated she was interested in money.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, but I think that might have been smokescreen.\u201d Li shook his head. \u201cThere\u2019s something weird going on with the Vong.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWeird? How so?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure you\u2019ve been watching their movements as much as you can, haven\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo were we, when we were waiting for an opportunity to set down.\u201d Li hesitated. \u201cIn that time, we never saw any Vong reinforcement or supply ships arrive from outside the system.\u201d<\/p>\n That seemed to grab Halyn\u2019s full attention for the first time. \u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n Li nodded. \u201cI think there\u2019s some kind of internal politics at play with the Vong right now. So if there\u2019s two different factions, and Allanna\u2019s working for one, they could easily insert her into the other as a plant by promising Argus\u2019s life.\u201d<\/p>\n The Ul\u2019akhoi seemed to withdraw as he considered this new information. \u201cAlright,\u201d he said at last. \u201cLi, I still need you running my special operations squadron, but I want you and Abi to work together with Anishor to try to dig out any information on the traitor.\u201d He paused for a moment of reflection before nodding. \u201cYeah. I might as well have you do it under my instruction, since you\u2019re bound and determined to do it anyways.\u201d There was a hardness in his eyes as he reached over and slapped the turbolift button to return them to the bridge. \u201cIf you figure out who the traitor is, come talk to me first before you do anything rash. And if there\u2019s any chance Argus is still alive, I want to know, because you can be damned sure we\u2019ll go get him back.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There were days Sandarie Coron hated Halyn Lance. They had been friends for years\u2014only a handful of people outside his own family had known him longer by any significant amount of time. In those years, when he had been around … Continue reading