Part 2 (1/2)

Luke looked at Han. Customs Red: a warning that there was illegal and highly dangerous cargo aboard. ”Did Commerce identify the captain and crew?”

”No,” the Iphigini said. ”A follow-up transmission was promised, but it has not yet arrived. The suspect freighter is already approaching Iphigin, and we have dispatched the bulk of our inner-system customs frigates and patrol craft to intercept. It was thought that as New Republic representatives, you and Captain Solo might wish to observe the procedure.”

There was a sudden change in Han's emotions. Luke looked over, to see his friend gazing thoughtfully off into s.p.a.ce. ”We appreciate the invitation,” he said, looking back at the hologram. ”At the moment, though-”

”Where's this Sarkan coming in from?” Han interrupted.

”Sector Three-Besh.” The Iphigini's image was replaced by a schematic of Iphigin and the s.p.a.ce around it. A red dot blinked a few degrees off a line connecting Iphigin to its sun; nearly twenty blinking green dots were converging on it from the planet and nearby s.p.a.ce.

”As you can see, we have attempted to send a force adequate to overcome any resistance.”

”Yeah,” Han said slowly. ”And you're sure it's a Sarkan?”

”Its transponder ID has been checked,” the Iphigini told him. ”The s.h.i.+p itself is a Corellian Action-Keynne XII, rarely seen in this part of the Core except under Sarkan authority.”

Luke whistled soundlessly. He'd been given a tour of an Action-Keynne XII once, and had come away thoroughly impressed by both the touches of inner luxury and the multiple tiers of outer weaponry. Designed to transport the most valuable of cargoes, it very nearly qualified as a capital wars.h.i.+p.

Which was probably why the Iphiginis were sending so many s.h.i.+ps to intercept it. If its captain decided not to cooperate, the Iphiginis were in for a fight.

”Sounds like a Sarkan, all right,” Han agreed, his voice a little bit too casual. ”You go ahead and do your intercept. Maybe we'll come up later and have a look.”

”Thank you, Captain Solo,” the Iphigini said. ”I will alert the officials that you will be joining them. Farewell.”

The hologram vanished. ”Don't count on it,” Han muttered, gathering up the datacards from where he'd tossed them on the table and thumbing rapidly through them. ”Chewie, get over to that console-see if you can pull up a full listing of the traffic pattern out there.”

”What's going on?” Luke asked, frowning at Han and trying to read his mood. Suddenly all the earlier frustration was gone, leaving a sort of sly excitement in its place. ”You know who the smuggler is?”

”He's not a smuggler,” Han said. He found the card he was looking for and slid it into his datapad. ”You got it, Chewie? Great. Punch it into the hologram pod over here.”

Chewbacca growled acknowledgment, and a more complete Iphigin schematic appeared over the table. Han peered at it, then looked down at the datapad in his hand. ”Great. Okay, come here and give me a hand with this.”

What is it?” Luke asked.

”This is the ground station list and the orbit data for their Golan I Defense Platform,”

Han told him, waving the datapad as Chewbacca lumbered to his side again. ”Let's see . . .”

For a minute the two huddled close together, peering alternately at the hologram and Han's datapad and conversing in low tones. Luke studied the schematic, watching the color-coded freighters and other s.h.i.+ps moving in and out and wondering what this was all about.

”Okay,” Han said at last. ”That's where they'll come in. So all we need to do is sit somewhere in the middle of that cone and wait. Great. Get down to the Falcon and get er ready. I'll be right there.”

Chewbacca rumbled an acknowledgment and headed out the door at a fast Wookiee trot. ”Do I get to know what's going on?” Luke asked.

”Sure,” Han said, gathering up the datacards and packing them away again. We've got pirates on the way.”

”Pirates?” Luke blinked. ”Here?”

”Sure. Why not?”

”I didn't think pirate gangs operated this far into the Core, that's all,” Luke said. ”So the Sarkan is just a feint?”

”Yeah,” Han said, getting to his feet. ”Only he doesn't know it. It's an old trick: you call an alert on some s.h.i.+p coming in sun-side, then hit a nightside target while Customs is busy half a planet away. The only tricky pan is making sure the ground and orbit defenses can't get to you. Plus figuring out bow to fake the alert in the first place.

Come on, let's go.”

”Shouldn't we alert the Iphigini first?' Luke asked, reaching for the comm.

”What for?” Han said. ”You and Chewie and me ought to be able to handle it.”

”What, a whole pirate gang?”

”Sure, why not? The only gangs working this sector are small ones-two or three s.h.i.+ps, tops.” Han's lip twitched. ”Actually, you probably won't even need us.”

”I appreciate your confidence,” Luke said icily. ”But I'd just as soon not take them all on myself, thank you.”

Han held up his hands. ”Hey. No offense.”

”None taken.” Luke gestured to the hologram and the patrol s.h.i.+ps weaving their net around the incoming Sarkan freighter. ”And I still think we ought to call in the Iphigini.”

”We can't,” Han said. ”The pirates probably have a spotter already here. Any sign of an alert, and they'll just call off the raid. We'd end up looking stupid, and Diamalan opinion of the New Republic would sink a little deeper. The High Council will have my hide if that happens.”

Luke sighed. ”Things were a lot easier when Alliance military activity wasn't always getting tangled up in politics.”

”Tell me about it,” Han growled. ”Look, we've got to get going. You in or out?”

Luke shrugged. ”I'm in,” he said, pulling out his comlink. ”Artoo?”

R2-D2 didn't like it. Not a bit. The words scrolling across the X-wing's computer display made that very clear indeed.

”Oh, come on, Artoo,” Luke chided. ”We went all the way through a war together, against the most powerful military machine the galaxy has ever seen. You're not going to tell me you're afraid of a couple of patched-up pirate s.h.i.+ps, are you?”

The droid grunted indignantly. ”That's better,” Luke said approvingly. ”Just keep an eye out. We'll be fine.”

Artoo warbled again, clearly not convinced, and went silent. Luke peered out the X-wing's canopy, trying to shake away his own collection of nagging doubts. The odd discomfort that kept surfacing in Han's emotions-the unexplained Diamalan refusal to allow him at the negotiations-all of it just added to the strange restlessness that had been simmering and growing in him over the past few weeks.

He'd talked to Leia twice about it, hoping her insight and experience could help him bring the vague glimmerings into sharper focus. But the best she'd been able to do was suggest that it was some kind of subconscious prodding from the Force itself. Something Luke was supposed to do, she hypothesized, or perhaps something he wasn't supposed to do.

At her urging, he'd been spending more time lately in meditation, hoping that immersing himself in the Force would help. So far, though, there had been no results.

”Luke?” Han's voice said into his helmet. Where are you?”

Luke shook his thoughts back to the task at hand. ”I'm above you and a little to portside,” he said. ”I don't see anything out here that looks like a pirate s.h.i.+p. You?”

”Not yet,” Han said. ”Don't worry; when they get here, you'll know it.”

”Right.” Turning his head slowly, Luke looked around at the drive glows and running lights of the various freighters.

And then suddenly they were there.