Part 41 (1/2)

CHAPTER 24.

The scouts had spent the past twenty-eight hours sweeping the system; and when they returned they brought the report Admiral Pellaeon had been expecting. Except for the Chimaera itself, the Pesitiin system was about as deserted as a region of s.p.a.ce could be.

”Offhand, sir, I'd say he turned down your offer,” Captain Ardiff said, coming up beside Pellaeon on the Star Destroyer's command walkway.

”Perhaps,” Pellaeon said, gazing out the viewport at the stars. ”It's also possible that my suggested timetable was a little optimistic. General Bel Iblis may be having difficulty convincing the New Republic hierarchy that it would be to their benefit to talk to me.”

”Or else he's having trouble putting together a big enough combat force to take on an Imperial Star Destroyer,” Ardiff said ominously. ”It strikes me that this could be a giant rachnid's web we're comfortably settling ourselves into the middle of.”

”Relax, Captain,” Pellaeon soothed the younger man. For all his budding military capability, Ardiff had a tendency to ramble over his own tongue when he was feeling nervous. ”Bel Iblis is a man of honor. He wouldn't betray my invitation that way.”

”I seem to recall that he was also once a man of ambition,” Ardiff countered. ”And at the moment be looks to be getting lost among the swarm of other generals and admirals infesting the New Republic military. It could easily occur to an ambitious man that capturing you would dramatically increase his visibility.”

Pellaeon smiled. ”I'd like to believe that after all these years I could still be such a valuable prize,” he said. ”But I hardly think that to be the case.”

”You can be as modest as you want, Admiral,” Ardiff said, gazing uneasily out at the starlit sky. ”But right now you're about the only thing that's holding the Empire together.”

Pellaeon gazed out at the stars. ”Or the only chance we have of survival,” he added quietly.

”However you want to think about it, sir,” Ardiff said, a note of asperity creeping into his voice. ”The point remains that Colonel Vermel went out to deliver your message and never returned. Why?”

”I don't know,” Pellaeon had to concede. ”I take it you have a theory?”

”Yes, sir, the same theory I've had since before we left Yaga Minor,” Ardiff said. ”I think Vermel learned something, either from Bel Iblis directly or else he overheard something someone else said. That whatever he heard made it necessary for Bet Iblis to lock him up where he couldn't communicate with you. That at best we're wasting our time, and that at worst we're walking into a trap.”

”It's still a worthwhile gamble, Captain,” Pellaeon said quietly. We'll give Bel Iblis a few days to show up. After that-”

”Admiral Pellaeon?” the sensor officer called from the starboard drew pit. ”Incoming s.h.i.+ps, sir. Looks like eight of them, coming in on vector one-six-four by fifty-three.”

Pellaeon felt his throat tighten. ”Identification?” he asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

”Four are Corellian guns.h.i.+ps,” another voice called. ”The big one's a Kaloth battlecruiser&mdashlooks like it's been heavily modified. Three are Telgorn Pacifier-cla.s.s a.s.sault boats. IDs . . . inconclusive.”

”What do you mean, inconclusive?” Ardiff demanded.

”Their IDs don't match anything in the registry,” the officer said. ”I'm running an overlay check to see if I can unravel them.”

”Disguised s.h.i.+ps,” Ardiff said darkly.

”Smugglers use ID overlays, too,” Pellaeon reminded him. ”So do pirates and some mercenary groups.”

”I know that, sir,” Ardiff said. ”I also know that there's precious little in this system any of those groups could possibly want.”

”A point,” Pellaeon admitted. ”Communications officer, transmit our identification and ask for theirs.”

”Identification transmitted,” the other said. ”No response.”

”Incoming s.h.i.+ps have changed course,” the sensor officer called. ”Now on intercept vector with the Chimaera.”

Ardiff hissed tensely between his teeth. ”Steady, Captain,” Pellaeon advised him.

”Lieutenant, get me a full sensor scan of the incoming s.h.i.+ps. Weapons capabilities and hull markings in particular.”

”Acknowledged, sir-”

”Admiral!” another voice cut him off. ”Incoming s.h.i.+ps have reconfigured into attack formation.”

”I think, Admiral,” Ardiff said, his voice hard, ”that we have Bel Iblis's answer.”

Pellaeon closed his left hand into a fist at his side. ”Any hull markings, Lieutenant?” he called.

”It's coming up now, sir . . . yes, sir, there are. The guns.h.i.+ps are carrying Corellian Defense Force insignia. The others . . . the same, sir.”

”Thank you,” Pellaeon murmured. He could feel Ardiff's eyes on him, and the heat of the other's anger and bitter vindication. ”Captain, you'd best prepare the Chimaera for combat.”

”Yes, sir.” Ardiff half turned toward the portside crew pit. ”All pilots to their fighters,” he ordered. ”Ready to launch on my command. Deflector screens powered up; all turbolasers energized and ready.”

”And tractor beams,” Pellaeon added quietly.

Ardiff threw him a puzzled glance. ”Sir?”

”We may want to bring in one or more of the s.h.i.+ps,” Pellaeon explained. ”Or some of the battle debris.”

Ardiff's lip twitched. ”Yes, sir. All tractor beams, activate.”

Pellaeon took a few steps closer to the forward viewport, moving away from the heightened buzz of activity from the crew pits and aft bridge. Could that really be Bel Iblis out there, blazing toward the Chimaera in full battle formation?

No. Ridiculous. He'd never met Bet Iblis in person, but everything he'd ever read about the man indicated a strong sense of honor and dignity. A man like that wouldn't pull what was essentially a cowardly sneak attack, not in response to an honest request for parley.

Even in Bel Iblis's losing battles against Grand Admiral Thrawn he'd maintained that same dignity.

His battles against Thrawn . . .

Pellaeon smiled tightly. Yes, there it was. A way, perhaps, to find out whether or not that was really Bel Iblis leading that motley attack force out there.

There was a movement of air at his side. ”It's possible he's just being cautious,” Ardiff said, the words coming out with obvious reluctance. ”The s.h.i.+eld overlap that comes from an attack formation like that makes it useful for defense, as well. And he may simply not want to transmit his ident.i.ty until he's closer.”

Pellaeon eyed the young captain with mild surprise. ”You impress me, Captain,” he said.

”One of the most important attributes of a good commander is the ability to think beyond his own expectations.”

”I want to be fair, sir,” Ardiff said stiffly. ”But not at the risk of your s.h.i.+p. Do you want me to launch TIEs or Preybirds?”

”Not yet,” Pellaeon said, looking back out the viewport. The incoming s.h.i.+ps were visible now, tiny specks rapidly growing larger. ”Whatever happens here, I want it clear that we did nothing to provoke hostilities.”

For a long minute they stood together in silence and waited. The incoming s.h.i.+ps grew steadily larger . . .

And suddenly they were speeding low across the Chimaera, raking the Star Destroyer's upper surface with a blaze of turbolaser fire. They pulled up, heading directly for the bridge-someone in one of the crew pits behind Pellaeon yelped with surprise or fear&mdash And then they were gone, branching to either side around the command superstructure and pulling for the safety of distance.