Part 22 (1/2)
She nodded. ”What are your plans now, s.h.i.+gar? Are you returning Envoy Vii and your friend to Coruscant?”
s.h.i.+gar knew that look on his Master's face. She already knew the answer to her question. She had either worked it out or seen it in a vision. There was also a slight emphasis on the word friend that encouraged him to cast his answer in the frankest terms possible.
”Larin thinks I can use psychometry to find this world. ” He held up the sliver of silvery alloy that she'd recovered from the nest. It glittered in a way that wasn't beautiful, but was certainly eye catching. ”I think she places too much faith in my abilities. I would rather bring it to Tython for someone reliable to read it there. ”
”That would waste time, s.h.i.+gar, and time may be of the essence. ”
”Do you know this, Master, or do you just suggest it?”
”It doesn't matter. I do know that Larin's faith in you is not unwarranted. Perhaps you should have faith in her, too. Does she strike you as a fantasist?”
”Anything but. ” Larin was as solid as a rock. ”She sees what she sees and she says what she says. ”
”Well, then. Maybe the one who doesn't see is you, s.h.i.+gar. ”
”Perhaps, Master. But if I fail...”
”Metaphorically speaking, ” she said with a smile, ”if is the smallest word in the Galactic Standard lexicon, yet it stands between us and our greatest dreams. Let it be a bridge, s.h.i.+gar. It's time you crossed it. I will be waiting for you on the other side. ”
He took a deep breath. ”Yes, Master. ”
”Meanwhile, I am hopeful that Supreme Commander Stantorrs will provide us with substantive backup. Where the Mandalorians are concerned, he's unlikely to take any chances. But it will undoubtedly be a military mission, not Jedi. I'll suggest rendezvousing at Honoghr. Send coordinates to me there, once you have them, and we'll get on our way. ”
s.h.i.+gar's mind reeled at the logistical efforts unfolding in response to his actions. ”Yes, Master. ”
”The Force is with you, s.h.i.+gar. ”
The line crackled and died.
s.h.i.+gar slumped momentarily into the seat, and then went to find somewhere quiet to meditate.
Larin hadn't intended to eavesdrop on s.h.i.+gar's conversation with his Master, but the Auriga Fire was too small to allow anyone actual privacy. Where she and Ula sat facing each other was less than five meters away from s.h.i.+gar, and the metal-lined corridors carried every sound. Ula spoke softly so as not to disturb him, and it was easy for Larin to phase the envoy out.
She found it much harder, though, to ignore the mess the Sith wretch had made of her hand.
Just getting the glove off had been difficult. No painkillers existed sufficient to s.h.i.+eld her entirely from the sensation of blended flesh and plastoid tearing apart. The Sith's lightsaber had melted both into a horrific seal, one that had stopped her from losing too much blood but would have to be removed before the wound could properly heal. The medkit's initial scan revealed a mess of truncated bones and blood vessels beneath. It could only deal with them once the wound was cleared.
That job fell to Ula, who wielded a sonic scalpel with more surety than she had expected. Ula talked her through the procedure, in an attempt to rea.s.sure both of them, most likely. She gritted her teeth, unable to look away, and at the same time tried to focus her mind on something else.
”What are your plans now, s.h.i.+gar? Are you returning Envoy Vii and your friend to Coruscant?”
That had to be s.h.i.+gar's Master, the legendary Satele Shan. Larin wished she could see her image. She spoke with such surety and confidence, and s.h.i.+gar responded to both in ways he probably wasn't even aware of, simultaneously trusting and rebelling. It was hard to imagine him in a junior role to anyone.
”Maybe the one who doesn't see is you, s.h.i.+gar. ”
”There, ” said Ula, gingerly lifting the glove from her brutalized flesh. It came off in three pieces. He had resealed the major blood vessels with a laser cauterizer and applied a bone stabilizer compound. ”I think that's good enough to put in the medkit now. I'll dig around through the s.h.i.+p's cupboards later and see if I can find a prosthetic to tide you over until we get home. ”
She didn't want to look at the ruins of her hand, but she had to. The cut ran neatly across all her metacarpals, leaving her without even a single finger stump. The pain was hazy and indistinct now, but very present. Her nerves were obviously still working. That was a good thing, she reminded herself, if she was ever to have a full prosthetic attached.
The medkit swallowed what was left of her hand up to the wrist, and hummed patiently to itself.
”The Force is with you, s.h.i.+gar. ”
Larin heard him sigh, then get up to move elsewhere in the s.h.i.+p. His footsteps thudded heavily, as though he were bearing a heavy weight. Doors opened and closed, sometimes prompted by a thump or two. Finally he stopped. A door closed and sealed. Apart from the combined hum of life-support and a dozen other machines, the s.h.i.+p was silent.
”I said, I have several carrybags full of brand-new clothes. If you or anyone else wanted to change... ?”
She focused on Ula's face. ”What? Oh, yes. Sorry. That's a good idea. Could you help me get my armor off? I won't be able to reach the seals down my right side until the medkit has finished. ”
”Of course. I'd be happy to. ”
Together they wrestled her out of her arm and chest plates. The back defeated her entirely, so she showed him how to pop the waist seals and wriggle the sh.e.l.l free. Even through her body glove she felt the coolness of the air. She literally hadn't taken the armor off for days. On Coruscant, in the dangerous old districts, she had become used to sleeping in it most nights.
The state of the armor dismayed her. It had been well used even before she bought it, but the last few days had tested it beyond reasonable expectations. It was dented, slashed, melted, pierced, and blackened. More than once she found patches of blood she didn't even remember shedding.
”I can manage the rest, ” she said. ”There must be a 'fresher in here somewhere. ”
”I saw a small one near the starboard hold. Are you sure you'll be okay on your own?”
”Most definitely. A girl's gotta keep some secrets. ”
He flushed a bright red, and she instantly regretted the joke.
”I'm sorry, ” she said, taking his hand. ”You've been a great help, Envoy Vii. The painkillers are making me feel a bit woozy. I might lie down after I've cleaned myself up. ”
”Yes, yes, you should rest. And please call me Ula. ”
”Thank you, Ula. ”
His hand was warm in hers. She surprised herself by not wanting to let him go. They sat without saying anything for a moment, and maybe the painkillers really were getting to her because she felt herself tearing up at this tiny instant of human contact. She had been on her own for so long.
Don't be an idiot, she told herself. Being in the Blackstars was never like this. We fought and killed together. We didn't hold hands.
”All right, ” Ula said, sounding embarra.s.sed again. ”The luggage is in the crew quarters. I'll let you rummage through it. Call if you need anything, anything at all. ”
Larin nodded and wiped her nose.
Ula let her hand go.
When next she glanced up, he was gone.
CHAPTER 24.
The imperial shuttle came out of hypers.p.a.ce above the green and empty world of Kant, deep in Bothan s.p.a.ce. Kant's two moons possessed a sparkling array of asteroid companions. Among them lurked the seventeen vessels of the half division granted to Darth Chratis by the Dark Council. The bulk cruiser at its head, an aging hollow-nosed Keizar-Volvec behemoth called Paramount, hung low and heavy dead ahead. Ax felt an antic.i.p.atory dread as the shuttle swooped in to dock. She had cleaned the wounds on her face and neck and changed into clean attire. Still, she felt unready for what was surely to come.
A full detail awaited her on the hangar deck. She ignored their salute.