Part 31 (2/2)

Yes, the timing and distances would work. ”Let me suggest a compromise: you leave here in your X-wing and I'll have the Dawn Beat bring the Jade's Fire to meet you off Duroon. Her droid won't be activated, but you and your R2 should be able to fly it without any trouble.”

Skywalker shook his head. ”I don't want to try to sneak onto Nirauan with a s.h.i.+p that big.”

”Then leave the Fire hidden somewhere in the outer system and ride your starfighter in,”

Faughn suggested. ”The docking port should handle an X-wing without any problems.”

Skywalker hesitated a heartbeat, then nodded. ”All right.”

”Good,” Karrde said. ”Dankin, get onto s.p.a.ceport control and have a fuel order cut for his X-wing. Number one on the priority list, and you can bribe or threaten whoever you have to to get it there. Then put together the most comprehensive survival kit you can that will fit an X-wing's cargo hold. Two cubic meters and 110 kilograms, as I recall.”

”Got it,” Dankin said. ”What kind of backup are we going to send in behind him?”

”As much as we can throw together,” Karrde told him, keying for a list of available resources. His organization's fleet was impressively large; but scattered around the entire New Republic the way it was, it would take precious time to collect any kind of attack force together.

”I don't want any backup,” Skywalker cut into his musings. ”Bringing in the Jade's Fire is risky enough; the more s.h.i.+ps in the system, the better the chances one of them will be spotted. It'll be better for me to try to slip in by myself.”

”But you can't get her out alone,” Faughn said.

”I can,” Skywalker said softly. ”I have to.”

”You can't,” Faughn insisted. ”Karrde? Tell him.”

For a long moment Karrde studied the younger man, his mind flicking back to that first meeting between the two of them aboard the Wild Karrde so long ago. Even back then Skywalker had never been what he would have called brash; but looking at him now Karrde was struck by the quiet maturity ten years had added to his face. ”It's his call, Faughn,”

he said. ”If he says he can do it, then he can.”

Skywalker nodded. ”Thank you,” he said.

”I think the thanks are all on the other side,” Karrde pointed out, trying to force a smile. ”All right: fuel and supplies, and the Jade's Fire at Duroon. What else do you need us to do?”

”Just what you're already doing,” Skywalker said. ”Keep looking into these riots, and if you find anything get the information to Leia.”

”Done,” Karrde said. ”Anything else?”

”Yes,” Skywalker said, a shadow crossing his face. ”Could you get word to Leia on Coruscant and tell her where I've gone?”

”I'll go myself,” Karrde promised, getting to his feet again. ”We'll leave as soon as you're gone.”

”Thank you,” Skywalker said. He turned and beaded for the office door&mdash ”You said you saw Mara in a vision,” Karrde called after him. ”What was she doing?”

Skywalker paused in the doorway. ”She was in a rocky place, floating in water,” he said, not turning around. ”And she looked dead.”

Karrde nodded slowly. ”I see.”

He was still standing there, gazing at the open door, long after Skywalker bad gone.

CHAPTER 18.

Quite unfairly, the battle alarm sounded right in the middle of dessert.

For a split second Wedge considered shoveling the last three bites of his citros snow cake into his mouth at once, decided running to the landing bays with a full mouth lacked the proper dignity, and regretfully left the cake orphaned on the mess-room table.

”Starfighter wings, check in,” the Peregrine's fighter coordinator was calling as Wedge slid on his flight helmet and dropped into the c.o.c.kpit of his X-wing. ”Rogue Squadron, where are you?”

”Right here, Perris,” Wedge said, glancing around to confirm that the rest of the squadron were indeed present in the bay. ”What's going on?”

”Don't know for sure,” Perris growled. ”All I know is that we just got a panic call from the Sif'kric system. General Bel Iblis talked to them for maybe five minutes, and suddenly we're getting ready to fly. Okay, you show green-launch when ready.”

”Copy. Okay, Rogues, let's go.”

Twenty seconds later they were in s.p.a.ce, driving forward along the Peregrine's flank toward vanguard position. ”I don't suppose this might be a drill,” Rogue Six suggested on their private frequency.

”Well, if it is, the general owes me another dessert,” Rogue Twelve put in. ”Anyone been following local politics in this sector?”

”I have, a little,” Rogue Nine said grimly. ”My father-in-law's got some interests here.

Ten to one it's the Frezhlix; they've been feuding with the Sif'kries ever since we chased the Empire out of the area.”

”Maybe they've finally decided to finish it,” Rogue Two suggested.

”With General Bel Iblis and a New Republic task force right next door?” Rogue Six put in incredulously. What are they using for brains, groat cheese?”

”All s.h.i.+ps, this is General Bel Iblis,” the general's voice came on the command frequency, cutting off the conversation. ”We've just been informed that a strong Frezhlix force is moving on the Sif'krie homeworld of Sif'kric. As that system is only a few minutes away, we've been asked to go take a look.”

Terrific, Wedge thought sourly as he glanced back over the New Republic task force. One Katana-fleet Dreadnought, two Nebulon-B escort frigates, and three starfighter squadrons; and they were supposed to take on a force big enough to attack a whole planet?

Bel Iblis might have been reading his mind. ”Obviously, we're not planning to go head-to-head with them,” be continued. ”In fact, we're going to have to be very careful we don't overstep our legal bounds here. That's all I can say until we get there and a.s.sess the situation. Commander Perris?”

”All s.h.i.+ps, check in,” Perris ordered. ”Prepare to jump to lightspeed on my mark.”

”What does he mean, legal bounds?” Rogue Six asked as the fleet began its check-in.

”My guess is that whoever called Bel Iblis wasn't someone who could officially ask for New Republic a.s.sistance,” Wedge told him. ”Some minor bureaucrat, maybe just a rattled s.p.a.ce-traffic controller. If we don't have an official request-”

”Rogue Squadron: go,” Perris ordered.

”Copy,” Wedge said. He pulled back on the hyperdrive lever, squinted as the starlines flared, and they were off.

It was a twelve-minute flight to the Sif'kric system. Alone in the solitude of hypers.p.a.ce, he spent those minutes running a final check on the X-wing's systems and armaments, and wondering how the legendary General Garm Bel Iblis was going to pull this one off.

The timer clicked down toward zero. Settling himself, Wedge pushed the lever back. The starlines flared again&mdash He blinked. What in s.p.a.ce-?

On the Rogues' private channel, somebody snorted. ”You must be joking,” Rogue Two said.

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