Part 3 (2/2)
”That's the war I'm talking about,” Jacen said, stepping down into the center of the circular bridge to join the others. ”The war against ourselves.” Irolia took a long moment to consider this. ”It surprises me to see Imperials and the New Republic working alongside each other,” she said finally.
”We are no longer referred to as the New Republic,” Luke said, ''We have a new name now: the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances.”
”And the Empire has freely joined this Alliance?” Irolia asked, glancing at Yage.
”It has,” the captain said.
”I suppose the Chiss are welcome to join, too.” Luke seemed unfazed by the commander's sarcasm. ”The decision would be yours. But yes, you would indeed be welcome to join in due course.” Irolia snorted derisively but didn't address the Jedi Master's comment. Instead she said, ”What concerns me the most here, I think, is the makeup of your senior crew.
Master Skywalker shrugged. ”I have already explained that the military contingent is purely defensive.”
”That might indeed be true. But the intention lies in its leaders.
Mara Jade Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Jacen Solo-all renowned Jedi warriors.”
”Danni Quee is an accomplished scientist,” Jacen pointed out.
”Yes, I recognize that name. And Soron Hegerty we know, of course.
They fit in with your stated aims.” Danni looked both startled and flattered to be recognized; Hegerty, on the other hand, showed no reaction at all.
”But you also have a Barabel among you,” Irolia continued. ”How does it fit in?” Saba stiffened.
”She is a Jedi Knight,” Luke said.
”Another warrior, then?”
”Not in the sense that you mean.”
”Really? Most reptilian species I've ever met have been aggressive and predatory.” Saba's tail thumped the floor. She couldn't help it.
Captain Yage took a step forward at this. ”Tell me, Commander, how would you feel if I were to tell you that most Chiss I've met have been arrogant and condescending.” Luke signaled for patience. ”Saba is life-sensitive. We hope that she will detect Zonama Sekot by its Force emissions when we are near it.”
”Have you had any luck so far in this?”
”Not yet. That's why we need to keep searching.” Irolia nodded after some thought. ”Very well, Master Skywalker. I will agree to this only because we, too, would like to see this war brought to an end.” She signaled to her bodyguards, who handed her a flat, rectangular package about the same size as her outstretched hand. ”This memory disk contains authority codes and routes sufficient to get you to Csilla. They will remain active for one week. In that time, you must present yourself in person to obtain permission to travel within our boundaries. Without that permission, any trespa.s.s will be regarded as an act of aggression, upon which you will be expelled or destroyed.
Do I make myself clear?” Luke accepted the disk with a resigned look. ”Abundantly clear.”
”Then my mission here is complete.” Commander Irolia's gaze briefly swept the room. ”Perhaps we shall all meet again on Csilla.”
”That's all you came here for?” Captain Yage asked. ”To tell us to report to your superiors?”
”Not quite,” Irolia answered. ”I was ordered to give you the disk only if I thought you trustworthy.”
”And if we weren't?” The Chiss commander smiled at this, but said nothing in reply. She simply nodded farewell and, with an imperious gesture, ordered her bodyguards to follow her as she strolled from the bridge.
”Why that trumped-up little-” Again, Luke silenced Captain Yage with a gesture. ”She's just doing her job, Arien. We can't blame her for that.”
”Nevertheless, I'll be happier when she's off my s.h.i.+p.” She turned away to coordinate the disembarkation of the Chiss shuttle.
”I can understand perfectly where you're coming from, Captain Yage.” The hologram broke into static, then cleared to reveal the face of Mara Jade Skywalker at the controls oijade Shadow. ”I don't even want that woman on my scopes.”
”You caught all that, Mara?” Luke asked, facing the image of his wife in the holofield.
” Loud and clear.”
”What gets up my jets,” Yage said, ”is the a.s.sumption that we're answerable to them at all. The Empire has been collaborating with the Chiss for years, ever since Thrawn's day. But there's no treaty-we don't owe them anything. Just the idea of having to report our every I movement to them makes my hair stand on end.”
”We have to respect that we're in their territory now, Arien,” Luke said. ”And they do things differently than we do.”
”a.s.suming we are in their territory,” Mara said. ”How about looking at that disk?” Jacen took it from his uncle and put it into a reader. As Irolia had promised, it contained routes and security codes, but nothing else. The Chiss were tight-lipped when it came to doling out information.
They were lucky to get this much.
”Thoughts, anyone?” Luke asked. ”Do we plow on regardless, or should we comply with their request and report in?”
”It's your decision,” Yage said.
”Yes, but to reach that decision I would like to hear everyone's opinion. ”
”I don't think there's any great harm in doing what they say,” Mara said.
”Even though it does irk me.”
”I say to the Maw with them,” Yage put in. ”They can't tell us what to do.” Luke nodded quietly to both women's comments. ”Jacen?”
”We'll need access to their information,” his nephew replied. ”It would make things much simpler. Soron's data is accurate but doesn't cover more than ten percent of the Unknown Regions.” The xen.o.biologist had looked slightly bored throughout the political exchange, but seemed to perk up now that she'd been brought into the conversation. ”The Chiss have been expanding through this section of the galaxy for decades.
Irolia clearly knew of the legend of the wandering planet, so it must be common knowledge among her people. I believe access to their data would be invaluable.”
”But would it actually make the difference, do you think?” Luke folded his hands in front of him, as he so often did when pondering weighty matters. ”It certainly might.” Hegerty nodded at the map.
This small amount of data has already told us something interesting. Note the outer edge of their territory. See how it has held firm against the Yuuzhan Vong incursion? They have either developed similar jamming and combat techniques as your own fighters, or the enemy has withdrawn its offensive in order to concentrate on other areas. I would imagine that the answer to this mystery would be of interest to your tacticians back home.” There was a general murmur of agreement following that observation. The heads of the Galactic Alliance seemed an awfully long way from the Unknown Regions, but Hegerty-and Irolia-was quite right. Luke's mission was military at least in the sense that any information of military value would immediately be added to the war effort. Even though galaxy wide communications didn't reach into the Unknown Regions, subs.p.a.ce transmissions could be relayed through an isolated holocomm on the edge of Galactic Alliance s.p.a.ce. All communications from the mission were relayed to Cal Omas immediately.
Luke nodded. ”You might be right. But tell me, Saba: have you detected any sign of Zonama Sekot in this vicinity? If we are hot on its scent, then we might not need to contact the Chiss at all.” Saba straightened, her nostrils flaring involuntarily. ”I sense nothing. If Zonama Sekot iz here, it iz well hidden.”
”I thought as much. It's like looking for a droid in a desert: something's more likely to find us before we find it.” He nodded again.
”I'm of the opinion that we should do as Irolia says and check in with the local authorities. As Soron said, it couldn't hurt. And who knows; it might actually Tielp.” He glanced around to everyone, as though waiting to see if there were any objections to his decision.
When no one spoke up, he said, ”Okay, then. I'll leave the details of the course with Mara and Arien to prepare. Those of us who just came back from Munlali Mafir will need a break before we take on anything else.” Captain Yage smiled. ”I'm sure you won't get any argument from Doctor Hegerty on that score.” The meeting broke up, then, leaving Mara Jade Sky-walker and Captain Yage to discuss the finer points of the Chiss map. Luke motioned to Saba, Jacen, and Hegerty, and they joined him for a quiet discussion near the bridge's exit.
”How did Tekli get on with the Jostran?” was the first thing he asked his nephew.
”It was touch and go for a while,” the young Jedi replied. ”Another centimeter and it would have been too late. But she caught it.”
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