Part 29 (1/2)

”I do, ” Peramis was saying.

They will kill you slowly when they learn what you have done, thought Nil Spaar, and you will well deserve it.

”Then proceed with your presentation, ” said Behn-kihl-nahm.

A signal light appeared before Nil Spaar, and he muted the grid displays.

”Yes, Senator, ” he said. ”I am here. ”

His long fingers steepled with gentle precision, Hiram Drayson leaned back in his chair and watched as the face on the Senate monitor changed from that of Tig Peramis to that of Nil Spaar.

Drayson had hoped for-though not expected-a glimpse inside theAramadia , but the Yevetha had avoided that bit of carelessness.

Wherever Nil Spaar was transmitting from, the s.p.a.ce behind him appeared as empty and unenlightening as a blank bulkhead.

Given the universal propensity of stars.h.i.+p designers to fill every available s.p.a.ce, Drayson suspected the use of a screen, either physical or electronic.

”Before I begin, I want to share my deep regret over the unfortunate casualties resulting from our ascent from Eastport, ” the viceroy said.

”It was with great sorrow that I learned that our warnings had not been honored and the thrust radius of theAramadia had not been cleared. We had no thought or intention of injuring anyone. We left Eastport to avoid a confrontation, not to cause one. ”

”Oh, very good, ” Drayson said to himself, nodding. ”Well done. ”

”I regret the casualties, ” Nil Spaar went on, ”but I cannot take responsibility for them. For more than three days we requested clearance to leave Coruscant. Three members of your Senate witnessed two such attempts and can testify that we received only silence in reply.

”We warned the tower at Eastport and the president that we would raise s.h.i.+p without clearance if they left us no other choice. Their only response was to surround our s.h.i.+p with more soldiers and replace the ground crews with agents of the Intelligence Service. ”

”Ah! ” Drayson thought. Very interesting. Now, is it that you think they'll believe any accusation against the Service, or do you have an honest card to play to help sell the lies?

Allowing his fingers to lace together, Drayson rocked slowly in his chair as he listened for the answer.

”Stars on fire, ” Engh breathed. ”Is it possible that any of this is true? Could there have been some sort of misunderstanding, and we didn't hear them asking for clearance? ”

”Shut up, ” Leia said.

Nearly every seat in the Senate chamber was full now. Those not occupied by their owners had been commandeered by curious interlopers. Dozens more staffers lingered in the aisles, along the back wall, and in the open areas near the entrance doors. The six-meter-tall image of Nil Spaar on the display boards commanded their attention more powerfully than anyone at the podium or in the well was accustomed to.

”It became clear that the government of Leia Organa intended to hold us here against our will, ” Nil Spaar said. ”It became clear to me that we could not wait any longer. We risked losing not only the right of free navigation we had been promised, but the capacity to exercise it. Aramadia is a consular s.h.i.+p. It is ill equipped to repel an armed a.s.sault.

”I am sure that those of you who think you know Princess Leia Organa may doubt that she is capable of ordering soldiers to attack diplomats. After spending so many hours with her, I thought I knew her, and 1 would have trouble believing it, if there were not other evidence of her bad faith. ”

The screen flickered, and Nil Spaar's face was replaced by images of burned and twisted metal laid out on bronze decking. ”What you see now is the wreck age of a New Republic spy s.h.i.+p which violated the territorial hegemony of the Duskhan League four days ago. It self-destructed when spotted by a local patrol vessel, but we were able to recover enough of it to identify its purpose and origin. ”

At that moment, the audience in the Senate, in offices all over Imperial City, and on worlds throughout the New Republic saw Yevethan hands turn over a large fragment to reveal a recognizable portion of the New Republic seal-the blue crest, the ring of stars, and the gold circle.

Drayson leaned forward, staring, then slowly rose to his feet. ”b.l.o.o.d.y bilge--that's no prowler. That's a flatfish, or used to be. ” He stabbed at his communication computer with a finger. ”Verify. ”

”Verified-Drayson, Hiram. ”

”Call Kiles L'toth. Scramble. ”

”Calling Kiles L'toth. Waiting. Verifying. Ready. ”

”Kiles-this is Drayson. Is that one of your s.h.i.+ps being splashed all over the grids by the Yevethan amba.s.sador? ”

The a.s.sociate director's voice was shaky. ”We, uh-yes, we think so. It could be theAstrolabe . She's four hours overdue for her logout from Doornik N1142. ”

”Four hours. The viceroy said this happened four days ago. How is it you didn't know you'd lost a bird? ”

”Admiral, you know there's not usually much traffic while they're in-system. Look, what he's saying-it's not true. Astrolabe wasn't on a spy mission. This was routine survey work-”

”I didn't ask, ” said Drayson. ”But others will. Better work on your answers. ”

Princess Leia's face paled when three red body bags appeared briefly on the monitor.

”I regret to report that there were no survivors, ” Nil Spaar was saying. ”We were able to recover three bodies, which we are prepared to make arrangements to return. ”

The viceroy's face reappeared. ”But we cannot and will not negotiate this or any other matter with President Princess Leia Organa Solo. Everything she has said to us has been revealed by her actions as a lie. She claims to negotiate in good faith, while she sends spies to our homelands. She claims to respect our independence, and yet she sends a New Republic fleet toward our territory. She claims to want a treaty between equals, and yet she seeks to weaken our position with espionage and threats.

”I do not know that any act is beyond her, if she thinks it will help secure her power. I am gravely disappointed to learn that she falls so short of the ideals to which the New Republic aspires.

”At this very moment, I, my staff, and my crew are imprisoned within the planetary s.h.i.+eld of Coruscant. We are being hounded by a battle cruiser of the Coruscant Home Fleet. We want nothing but to return to our homeworld-but Princess Leia stands in our way, denying us the freedoms to which she so glibly gives lip service.

”I ask the chairmen of the Senate a nd each member world represented there to use whatever influence you can to persuade the princess to abandon her needlessly reckless and aggressive course. Open the s.h.i.+eld. Allow us to go home. ”

The Senate erupted in angry voices and harsh words as Nil Spaar's face vanished from the displays.

”Turn it off, ” Leia said, and slumped into a chair.

”Turn it off! ” she repeated sharply when Engh and Ackbar were slow to move.

Engh finally complied, and the monitor dimmed to the color and brightness of the wall on which it hung. For a moment there was silence in the room.

Ackbar turned away to the viewpane, embarra.s.sed for his friend. ”This is a disaster, ” he said simply.

”He's misinterpreted everything, ” Leia said disbelievingly. ”How could this have happened? We played right into their strongest fears. How could it have gone so wrong? ”

”Leia-we must do somethings” Engh pleaded with his eyes.

She nodded, and it seemed a great effort. ”Contact General Baintorf. Have him open the s.h.i.+eld. Tell theBrilliant to break off. Let them go. Ask Benny if he'll appoint a representative of the Senate to arrange retrieval of the bodies. ”

”Yes, Princess. Right away. ” Engh excused himself as though glad to escape.

”Flawlessly played, ” said Hiram Drayson. He stood with crossed arms before the monitor, watching as Senator Peramis and Senator Hodidiji submitted Articles of Withdrawal for their respective worlds. Three other small worlds, all represented in the Senate by their hereditary rulers, followed suit before Behn-kihl-nahm succeeded in suspending the session.

As the grids broke away from live coverage to a.n.a.lysis, Drayson called up a recording of Nil Spaar's address. ”Utterly flawless, ” he said after watching the replay, affirming his original judgment. There was more than a touch of admiration in his voice.

”But there's one missing piece, Viceroy, ” he added, stroking his face with one large hand, a thoughtful expression in his intent black eyes.

”What did it gain you? What's the payoff for weakening Leia's hand and stirring up the Senate? There's something not seen here-” Turning back to his desk, Drayson spun his computer toward him. ”Verify. ”