Part 38 (2/2)

”Wait a minute,” Solo interrupted. ”What's this about unidentified s.h.i.+ps?”

”He and Mara saw it skulking around the Cavrilhu Pirates' base,” Karrde said. ”Didn't he send you a report?”

”Yes, but only a very sketchy one,” Organa Solo said. ”He just said he hadn't learned anything from the pirates and that he would give us all the details when he got back to Coruscant. There was nothing about any unidentified s.h.i.+p.”

”He must not have wanted to say anything on an open channel,” Karrde said. ”I've got a copy of his and Mara's records of that sighting, plus the data we took when another of the s.h.i.+ps buzzed the Errant Venture. I'll get copies to you before I leave.”

”Forget the s.h.i.+ps a minute,” Calrissian put in impatiently. ”What happened to Mara?”

”The Starry Ice tracked it to a small world in Gradilis sector,” Karrde said. ”Mara went in for a closer look and spotted a fortress, entered a cave for a one-sided conversation with unknown beings, mentioned Skywalker's name in response to something they said or did, and then abruptly went silent.”

Calrissian's face bad gone rigid. ”You mean she was-?”

”No, she wasn't killed,” Karrde hastened to a.s.sure him. ”At least not then-you can hear her breathing on the recording that was pulse-transmitted back to the Starry Ice.”

”And these beings knew Luke?” Organa Solo asked, her forehead furrowed. With thought or dread, Shada couldn't tell which.

”Knew him, or knew of him,” Karrde told her. ”There wasn't enough context for us to tell which.”

”We need to get hold of him right away,” Solo said to his wife. ”See if he can tell us anything.”

Karrde cleared his throat self-consciously. ”Actually, I've already spoken to him. He couldn't shed any light on it, either.”

Organa Solo regarded him suspiciously. ”And?” she prompted.

”That was the other thing I wanted to tell you,” Karrde said, his urbane air cracking just a bit. ”He's gone off to find her.”

Organa Solo's expression didn't change, but suddenly the temperature in that part of the room seemed to drop a few degrees. ”He's what?” she asked, her tone ominous.

”She's in danger, Leia,” Karrde said. ”Luke was the only one who could get there fast enough to make a difference. The only one who had a reasonable chance of dealing with whatever the creatures were Mara ran into. And whoever or whatever is up in that fortress.

This doesn't just concern Mara; it concerns the entire New Republic.”

”And what, you think this Bothan mess doesn't?” Solo growled. He was on his feet now, glaring across the conversation circle at Karrde. ”We've got a hundred little wars simmering out there, half of them using Caamas as an excuse to go in and settle old grudges. We've already emptied the New Republic diplomatic corps and Jedi academy trying to find enough mediators to go around, and we still don't have enough. We need Luke here.”

”I didn't force him to go after her,” Karrde countered, not quite glaring back. ”He weighed all the factors and made his own decision.”

”Except that he didn't know Thrawn was back,” Solo countered. ”Did he?”

”Let it go, Han,” Organa Solo said quietly, reaching up to touch her husband's arm.

”What's done is done. Karrde's right: it was Luke's decision to make. He's made it, and we'll just have to manage without him until he returns.”

”If it helps, you can consider my service to be in exchange for his,” Karrde said, his mouth still tight. ”I'm sorry to have brought such bad news. I really thought you'd be more understanding.”

Solo took a deep breath, exhaled it raggedly. ”Yeah,” he said. ”Well. . . when are you heading out?”

”Immediately,” Karrde said, crossing to Shada and offering her a hand. ”a.s.suming my new a.s.sistant has no errands she has to attend to first.”

”I'm ready whenever you are,” Shada told him, ignoring the proffered hand and getting to her feet without a.s.sistance. ”a.s.suming Councilor Organa Solo's bodyguards are finished sifting through my pack and climbing gear.”

”They are waiting for you by the door,” the Noghri beside Organa Solo said gravely.

”Fine,” Karrde said, nodding to Organa Solo as he moved toward the entrance. ”Thank you for your hospitality, Leia. I'll contact you if and when I find anything.”

”Two other things, Karrde, before you go,” Organa Solo said. ”Three actually. First: will you need a translator droid for your trip?”

”That's a good point,” Karrde conceded. ”The organization has several, of course, but none are aboard the Wild Karrde at the moment. It won't be too hard to pick one up along the way, though.”

”That'll take extra time,” Organa Solo said. ”If you'd prefer, we could lend you Threepio.”

Solo made a noise in the back of his throat. ”Over his stripped gears, of course.”

”That's a very generous offer.” Karrde c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. ”It wouldn't have anything to do with the thought that you might be able to get an unbiased report of the trip out of him when we get back, would it?”

”Of course not,” Organa Solo said, arching her own eyebrows slightly. ”I'm hurt you'd even suggest such a thing.”

”Forgive me,” Karrde said. ”In that case, I accept, with thanks.”

”As Han suggests, we'll want a few minutes to talk with him first,” Organa Solo said. ”We can bring him over to the s.p.a.ceport when we pick up those s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p records from you.

Second: I wasn't able to tell you this before, but under the circ.u.mstances it's something you may need to know. One of the other datacards that Devaronian found at Mount Tantiss was labeled The Hand of Thrawn.'”

Karrde nodded. ”Yes, I'd heard.”

Organa Solo's eyebrows lifted. ”How did you-? Never mind, I don't want to know.”

”My source and I thank you for your discretion,” Karrde said. ”There's something else you need to know, though. Before Mara went chasing after that unknown s.h.i.+p, we picked up a transmission from it, clearly directed at the Errant Venture. We haven't yet been able to decipher the message, but it definitely contained Thrawn's name. His full name, not just the core name Thrawn'.”

Solo frowned. ”I didn't even know he had more name.”

”Most people don't,” Karrde agreed. ”But Mara did. So did whoever was aboard that s.h.i.+p.”

”What do you think it means?” Organa Solo asked.

”I don't know,” Karrde said. ”Maybe we'll have some answers when Skywalker and Mara get back. At any rate, I'll add a copy of that recording in with the others. You said there were three things?”

Organa Solo smiled. A smile that was shaded with tension, but a smile nonetheless. ”May the Force be with you,” she said quietly.

Almost involuntarily, Shada thought, Karrde smiled back. ”And with you,” be said. His eyes flicked to Solo and Calrissian. With all of you,” be added. ”Good-bye.”

”Nice speech you made back there,” Shada commented as Karrde lifted the airspeeder off the Orowood Tower's pad and turned its nose toward the West Championne field where the Wild Karrde was waiting. ”A little over-rehea.r.s.ed, maybe, but not bad for all that”

”You're too kind,” Karrde said, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. She was staring straight ahead at the nighttime Coruscant landscape, her face faintly illuminated by the glow from the instrument board. With better light, he decided, her expression would probably still have been impossible to read, ”May I ask which part of the discourse sounded like a speech to you?”

”That bit about why it had to be Skywalker who went charging off to rescue Mara Jade,” she said. ”You weren't really expecting them to greet that news with shouts of joy, were you?”

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