Part 26 (1/2)

”Shut up,” Qennto said, pulling him the rest of the way through and letting the door close behind him. Giving him a shove toward Maris, he put his back to the door and folded his arms defiantly across his chest.

”Okay,” he said. ”Let's hear it.”

”Let's hear what?” Car'das asked, his heartbeat starting to pound again.

”The story about you and Maris and Thrawn,” Qennto said coldly.

”Specifically, these private chats he and Maris have been having.”

Car'das caught his breath, and instantly cursed himself for his reaction.

If Qennto had requested a guilty reaction in writing, he could hardly have delivered him a better one. ”What do you mean?” he asked, stalling for time.

”Don't you mean, how do I know?” Qennto snorted. ”What, you think that just because I don't come to your little language school I've just been sitting around staring at the walls?” He nodded at the computer across the room. ”Maris was kind enough to let me watch her set up the pathway to the vocabulary lists.”

Car'das felt his stomach tighten. ”So you understand Cheunh?”

”I understand enough of it.” Qennto looked at Maris. ”I also know how to read women.”

”You don't understand,” Maris said, her voice low and soothing.

”Fine,” he said. ”Explain it to me.”

She took a deep breath. ”I admire Commander Thrawn,” she said. Her voice was still soothing, but Car'das could hear cracks starting to form in it.

She knew Qennto's temper even better than he did. ”He's intelligent and n.o.ble, with an artistic sensitivity I haven't seen since I left school.”

Qennto snorted. ”You mean since you left those shallow needle-headed idiots you used to hang out with?”

”Yes, most of them were idiots,” she agreed without embarra.s.sment. ”Comes of being young, I suppose.”

”But Thrawn is different?”

”Thrawn is a grown-up version,” she said. ”His artistic sense is coupled with maturity and wisdom. I enjoy spending time talking with him.” Her eyes flashed. ”Just talking with him, if that matters.”

”Not really,” Qennto growled. But as Car'das watched some of the tension go out of him, he could tell that it did. ”So if these meetings are so innocent, why have you been hiding them?”

A muscle in Maris's cheek twitched. ”Because I knew you'd react exactly like this.”

”And this secrecy was all your idea, huh?”

She hesitated. ”Actually, I believe Thrawn suggested it.”

Qennto grunted. ”Thought so.”

”And what's that supposed to mean?” Maris asked, her eyes narrowing ominously.

”It means he's playing you for a fool,” Qennto said bluntly. ”I may not be cultured or artistic, but I've been around a little. I know his type, and he's not what he seems. They never are.”

”Maybe he's the exception.”

”You can believe that if you want,” Qennto said. ”I'm just telling you that somewhere along the line this little pyramid of cards you've build around him is going to fall apart. Bet on it.”

”I will,” she said, her eyes blazing openly now. ”You be sure to point it out when it happens.” Turning her back on him, she stalked over to the computer and dropped into the chair.

Qennto watched her go, then turned to Car'das. ”You have anything to say?” he challenged.

”No,” Car'das said quickly. ”Nothing.”

”Then get out,” Qennto said, moving away from the door. ”And remember what I said. Don't you trust him, either.”

”Sure.” Sidling carefully past him, Car'das escaped out into the corridor and back to his quarters.

Through the row of viewports on the bridge of the Trade Federation battles.h.i.+p Darkvenge the starlines faded once again into stars. ”We have arrived,” Vicelord Kav announced from his throne-like command chair.

”Mm,” Doriana murmured noncommittally from his seat on the observers'

couch curving out beside the other. In general, the Neimoidians had excellent navigational systems. But systems were only as good as their operators, and in the Darkvenge's case that was open to question. Sidious had insisted the crews of all the task force's s.h.i.+ps be kept to a bare minimum, retaining only those who could be trusted to keep their mouths closed and bringing in droids to take up the slack.

More than once, Doriana had wondered whether Sidious's ultimate plan was to kill any survivors of the mission to make doubly sure that none of this ever leaked out. If so, the low crew numbers would certainly make that easier.

”Your concerns are needless,” Kav said haughtily, completely missing the direction Doriana's thoughts had taken. ”We are double-checking the location now.”

”Thank you,” Doriana said, inclining his head politely. The skeleton crew would not, of course, affect their attack capabilities to any great degree. That would be handled by droid star-fighters, and that system was largely automated.

He looked around the bridge at the Neimoidians and droids working busily in the various sunken control pits, then turned his attention to the tactical board. The task force was arranging itself into a typical Neimoidian defense structure: the two huge Trade Federation split-ring battles.h.i.+ps in the center where they would be best protected, the six armed Techno Union Hardcell-cla.s.s transports forming a pyramid-point defensive sh.e.l.l around them, and the seven Trade Federation escort cruisers arrayed in a patrol cloud beyond that.

It was an awesome collection of firepower, possibly the largest a.s.sembled in one place since the fiasco at Naboo. Against even the weaponry of six brand-new Dreadnaughts, they should have no trouble carrying the day.

a.s.suming, of course, that Kav's navigators had indeed brought them to the right part of the right system. If they missed Outbound Flight here, they would have to hurry another six hundred light-years ahead in order to catch it at its second navigational stop.

”Our position is confirmed,” Kav said with satisfaction. His nict.i.tating membranes blinked at Doriana. ”If the coordinates you have brought us are correct.”

”They are,” Doriana said. ”If Outbound Flight is on schedule, they'll arrive in a little over eleven days. Until then, we'll run training exercises to make sure your people and equipment will be ready.”

”They are more than ready,” Kav insisted stiffly. ”The combat programs for the droid starfighters are the very best, and between our two battles.h.i.+ps we have nearly three thousand of them. No matter how strong Outbound Flight's defenses, no matter how skilled their gunners, we will destroy them with ease.”

That's what you said at Naboo. With an effort, Doriana kept the comment to himself. ”I'm sure you're right,” he said instead. ”We'll still spend the next few days running my drills.”

Kav made a noise deep in his chest. ”As you wish,” he said with strained patience. ”But the extra expenditure of fuel and energy will be upon your responsibility. When do you wish to begin?”

Doriana looked out at the stars. ”There's no time like the present,” he said. ”We launch starfighters in ten minutes.”

”And this,” C'baoth said as he led the way into the unusually low-ceilinged room, ”is the control room for Weapons Blister Number One.

You'll notice the ceiling is low, to make extra room for the turbolaser charging equipment above us.”

”Lucky we don't have any Gungans aboard,” Obi-Wan commented, ducking his head a little as he stepped in. The room was equipped with a large wraparound control board in the center, with auxiliary and support consoles along the walls. From the number of chairs arranged at the various stations, it looked like the normal complement would be fifteen people, including the three actual gunners.

”Gungans wouldn't have been allowed anywhere near these stations even if there were any aboard,” C'baoth said flatly. ”Weapons specialists need far more sophistication and intelligence than that.”