Part 30 (2/2)

”I am certain of it. ”

”Did you kill her? Did you see her body?”

”No. ”

”So how can you be certain?”

Stryver tapped his helmet with one gloved finger. Ula couldn't see the Mandalorian's face, but was positive he was smiling.

”She means nothing to me, ” the young Sith said firmly, as though rea.s.suring herself of the truth of it. ”I just want to be certain. ”

”Be certain of this, Eldon Ax: when those droids your mother created leave this world, they will consume the entire galaxy in less than a generation. ”

Ula blinked. The claim was preposterous, but if Stryver truly believed it, that did explain another puzzling piece of the story.

”So that's why you were willing to talk to her, ” Ula said. ”Lema Xandret was a threat or a possible ally - just like the Empire. ”

”A force to be reckoned with, potentially, ” said Master Satele. ”A force we clearly underestimated. But you wouldn't have taken her word on it. You must have received some kind of proof. ”

”A demonstration factory, ” said Stryver. ”In two days, it manufactured seventeen droids and two duplicates of itself using nothing but the materials around it. The duplicate factories went immediately to work, making another four factories and even more droids. Their rate of reproduction was limited only by the energy available to them; later we discovered how they send out roots to tap into the local supply, ensuring they never run out. Curious, we put the droids in the pit and they prevailed against all but the current champion. Then the droids and factories self-destructed, leaving insufficient remains for us to probe the secrets of their manufacture or function. The message was clear. The Mandalore sent me to pursue the conversation. ”

”Why did he send just you?” asked Larin. ”You're not much use to us on your own. ”

”I can confirm several hypotheses that you might already be forming. This will save you time so you can begin to act. ” Stryver raised his right hand and began ticking off points. ”One. Lema Xandret and her fellow refugees arrived on Sebaddon determined to cast off the hierarchy they had left behind. Fifteen years later, hiding was no longer sufficient: Xandret wanted revenge on the people who had stolen her daughter. So she sought out Mandalore to help her. She approached him because my culture eschews the Force. That, after all, was where all this started, with militarized religious cults turning children into monsters. ”

Ula didn't dare look at the young Sith's face. He didn't know exactly how the Sith trained their acolytes, but this sounded plausible. He wondered if his Jedi ”masters” had a similar system.

”Two. ” Stryver's count continued. ”During her self-imposed exile, Xandret and her fellow artisans advanced robotics in directions no one has ever seen before. Finding inspiration and materials in human biology itself, they sought to make droids that would neither age nor grow inflexible and hidebound, so their small colony could last forever. The technical challenges were immense, of course, but they made some progress in unexpected directions. The droids you've seen are advanced prototypes called fast breeders. Given enough metal and raw energy, they grow from seeds into fully formed combat versions in a matter of days. The nest on Hutta could have produced dozens of such killers if left undisturbed, and the same is true of the nests on Sebaddon. The hot spots you've been observing from above, the ones that look like cities, are in fact droid-building factories. They are churning out fast breeders by the thousand now that the planet's defenses have been tripped. And not just fast breeders: new factories as well. That is where the true threat lies. This was the weapon she intended to use against the Empire.

”Three. If left unchecked, Xandret's breeder technology will inevitably outgrow its homeworld and spill out into the galaxy. The math of geometric progression is undeniable: one world this year, two worlds the next; then four, then eight; within a decade it's two hundred and fifty worlds, then another decade later it's a quarter of a million. One human generation is all they would need to take over the entire galaxy-along with Sith, Jedi, and Mandalorians alike.

”Four. Negotiation is no longer an option. Xandret put all her prejudices into her droids. You've heard their voices. You know what drives them. The only solution is to crush Sebaddon completely. We must be ruthless, decisive, and thorough, in order to ensure that Lema Xandret's legacy is completely eradicated. Just one nest would be enough to allow all this to start over again. ”

Stryver had run out of fingers on his right hand.

”Are you finished?” asked the Sith.

”I will be if this threat isn't neutralized. ”

Stryver's fists descended to take his weight, knuckle-first, on the side of the holoprojector.

The sphere of Sebaddon turned unstoppably between them. Glowing red lights appeared and spread like a plague in fast motion. Soon the whole planet was red, and streams of tiny, malignant dots began to leap off the surface and escape into unseen s.p.a.ces.

”You said 'we. ' ” Satele Shan's voice made Ula jump. ”We must be ruthless. I presume that was deliberate. ”

”It was. Everything I have seen, on Hutta and Sebaddon, confirms my worst fears. Sebaddon is responding to the threat you all represent by ramping up production. It must be stopped before the contagion spreads. Since neither Empire nor Republic can single-handedly destroy this menace with the resources available right now, you must work together to see it done. ”

”With you in charge, I suppose, ” said Larin.

”The end justifies the means. ”

”I will never take orders from a Mandalorian, ” said the Sith in mocking tones. ”And I will never fight alongside a Jedi. You are insane even to suggest it. ”

”There must be an alternative, ” Master Satele said. ”Another attempt at negotiation, perhaps...”

”The planetary defense system is automated, ” Stryver said. ”The only voices coming from the planet originate with the fast breeders. That's how I know that Lema Xandret is dead. Everyone down there is dead. It's just the droids now, and you can't negotiate with them. ”

”Well, we can't trust one another, ” said s.h.i.+gar. ”That's some choice you've given us. ”

”Could I make it any other way, I would. Believe me. ”

Jedi and Sith glowered at one another over the hologram, and suddenly Ula knew exactly what he had to do. Once again, Jet had been absolutely right. Ula could see both sides at once, and save himself into the bargain.

”Are you the leader of the Imperial fleet?” he asked the young Sith. He already knew the answer. The Emperor would never trust such wealth to someone so young, no matter how powerful she might be. But he had to ask, for appearance's sake.

”No, ” she admitted.

”Whoever that person is, then, I want to speak to them, face-to-face, ” he said. ”I believe I can bring the Empire to the table. ”

”You? My Master would gut a worm like you just to watch you die. ”

Ula's stomach roiled. Her Master. He had hoped for a non-Sith commander, but would have to settle for what he got. ”Take me to your command vessel and let me try. If I tail, by the sound of things, I might as well be dead. ”

”Your death is closer than you think. He's in the shuttle. ”

”Well, then. All the better. It'll be over quickly. ”

”Envoy Vii, ” said Satele Shan, ”be very careful. You must be absolutely sure of yourself. ”

”I am. ” He straightened and puffed out his chest. ”If the Empire agrees to Stryver's suggestion, will you?”

The Grand Master showed no sign of uncertainty. ”Of course. We're not at war, after all, and the threat is severe. ”

”Good. ” Ula turned back to the Sith girl. She was tight-lipped with rage, as though she couldn't believe his audacity. ”This isn't a trick. I'll go with you now, if you'll take me. Please. ”

”Just you, ” she finally said. ”No one else. ”

”That's out of the question, ” said Larin.

”No, ” he said, although his heart warmed at her concern. ”I'm happy to go on my own. If I can't convince them with words, what difference would a rifle or two make?”

She reluctantly backed down. ”Just be careful. We want you back in one piece. ”

”Not several?” said the Sith. She was grinning now, perhaps antic.i.p.ating the sport her Master would have with him. ”I refuse to guarantee anything. ”

Ula wondered if he looked as faint as he felt. What if she killed him the moment they were on the other side of the air lock, before he had a chance to speak? That would be the most awful irony of all.

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