Force Heretic_ Refugee Part 7

"That's a shame," he muttered. "Because I want whoever was behind this to pay dearly. If the Keeramak has been deterred by my kidnapping-or, worse, the consecration is canceled entirely-then I don't know where that will leave us. We can't afford tension with the P'w'eck. Not with the Yuuzhan Vong approaching us from the other side. Our defense fleet is stretched as it is without adding to our enemies."

"Do you know where your kidnappers were taking you?" Jag asked. "Because if we knew that then we might-"

"I'm sorry, young man," the Prime Minister said brusquely, "but you must appreciate that I had more important things to worry about at the time-such as staying alive. I didn't have the luxury of sitting them down and interrogating them, as you seem to be doing to me right now!" Jag felt himself flush at the accusation. "Sir, I never meant in any way to-"

Cundertol cut off the apology with a grunt. "When's that shuttle coming?"

he demanded, glancing athis chronometer.

"Soon, Prime Minister," Mayn said pleasantly. "General Panib is giving you a full military escort to avoid any further attempts on your life. In the meantime, you're safest here, with us."

"Better safe than sorry, eh?" The Prime Minister sniffed as he looked around at the cramped corridors of the frigate. "I'm just glad to be alive." Something about the way Cundertol spoke those words told Jag that, perhaps for the first time since he'd been rescued, he was telling the whole truth.

The Millennium Falcon, with Jaina flying as escort, had left orbit barely an hour before the appearance of Jaunty Cavalier, heading planetside for a formal meeting with the Senate. The news of Cundertol's rescue and the destruction of the freighter came as they landed safely at Salis D'aar s.p.a.ceport. Tahiri watched over Han's and Leia's shoulders as Jaina climbed out of her starfighter to inspect security before anyone else disembarked. Leia frowned. "You're saying he single-handedly overpowered a crew of seven?

That's certainly not the Senator Cundertol I remember."

"I'm skeptical, too," Jag said from orbit. "But I suppose it's not completely impossible. He's fit, and he had the element of surprise. One thing that really bothers me is that he did it without taking any cuts or bruises."

"You're sure about that?" Leia asked.

"I'm telling you, I stood right beside him as he told his story, and there wasn't a scratch on the man. Ever known anyone to come out of a fistfight without so much as a fat lip or a grazed knuckle?"

"He's got a point," Han said. His posture indicated that he was devoting at least as much attention to Jaina's gesticulating at local security forces outside as he was to Jag. "But have you got anything else? Anything substantial?"

"Nothing. He refused a medical exam."

"Todra's chief medico is a Duros, though, right? And if I recall, Cundertol is pro-human through and through, right, Leia?"

"Definitely more than just a hint of Empire, Jag," Leia confirmed.

"He could have simply wanted to avoid contact with an alien."

"Yet he signs an alliance with the P'w'eck?"

"He'd sign an alliance with an arachnor if he thought it politically expedient," Leia said.

Jag was silent for a second, then added, "This might not mean anything either, then, but Cundertol was as surprised about Malinza Thanas's arrest as you were."

"That it was her, or that they'd caught her?"

"I can't be positive, but I think the former."

"Well, Harris certainly seemed convinced of her guilt."

"It's possible my paranoia and suspicions are just getting the better of me," Jag conceded. "But one thing I am sure of: Cundertol certainly isn't someone I'd want to spend any more time with than I have to. I was quite happy to leave him with Captain Mayn until the Bakuran escort arrived. They've just left, so I'm happy to report he'll be all yours real soon." Outside the s.h.i.+p, Jaina made a great show of exasperation, then turned and headed to the Falcon, signing a surrept.i.tious all clear as she came. Keeping the locals on their toes, Tahiri imagined.

"Okay, then," Han said as he brought the s.h.i.+p's systems one by one off-line. "Apart from the fact that you're suspicious of the Prime Minister, do you have anything more substantial to add?"

"I guess not."

"And everything's under control up there now?"

"The wreckage has been cleared and our orbit corridor is clear."

"Good. Call us if anything else comes up. I think there's a meet-and-greet finally calling our name." Han killed the comlink and turned to face his wife, who was shaking her head."

"What?" he asked, brow furrowed. "I just find it amusing that someone who has navigated through his entire life on hunches could be so critical of someone else's." Han pulled an indignant face. "Hey, I listened to what he had to say. It's just that I didn't think he gave us anything solid to go on, that's all."

"Is that the only reason?" Tahiri couldn't see Leia's expression, but she imagined the Princess to be smiling. "Or could it be that you're feeling a little put out at the idea of Jaina having a boyfriend whose instincts are as sharp as yours?" Han performed a double take that would have been amusing to watch had not Tahiri been acutely aware that she was listening in on a personal conversation.

"I'm going to leave the two of you to talk," Tahiri said, climbing from her seat. As she stepped from the c.o.c.kpit, she heard the two start up again. As usual, there was no real malice in their argument. Beneath the words Tahiri could always detect the affection that the two obviously held for each other.

Outside the Falcon, the air was heavy with moisture and pollen. It was about midmorning, local time, an4 the temperature was rising. Within a minute, Tahiri could feel herself beginning to sweat, so she called on her Jedi training to regulate her temperature. The last thing she wanted to present to any officials she met was a sweaty palm-either metaphorically or literally. A few minutes later, Han and Leia also emerged from the Falcon Judging by the way the Princess was walking ahead of her husband and shaking her head, Tahiri guessed th.jir friendly squabble was still taking place.

"At least he's got good taste," she heard Han say to Leia as they reached the base of the freighter's landing ramp. Any response Leia might have had to this went unheard, however, because at that moment Jaina stepped over to greet her mother and father.

They exchanged a few words together, but the combination of the distance and their hushed voices made it impossible for Tahiri to hear what was being said-although she presumed it to be about the current situation as Jaina saw it.

Whatever, it was clearly something they didn't feel concerned her, so Tahiri decided not to intrude upon the discussion.

Instead, she checked out the docking bay they'd been a.s.signed.

Apart from the Falcon and Jaina's X-wing, it was completely empty-as requested by the Princess-and had only the one exit in the far corner.

Through the transparisteel door of this exit, Tahiri could make out a small collection of dignitaries and guards. For some reason, the sight of their drab green uniforms all in a row made her feel uncomfortable, and one of the three scars on her temple began to itch. When she caught herself scratching at it, she quickly stopped, self-consciously lowering her hand and placing it behind her back. She still didn't know why this happened, but it bothered her that it did. It brought back memories; brought back dreams...

She turned away from the sight of the dignitaries beyond the transparisteel doors, and as she did so caught sight of a technician approaching the Millennium Falcon, a long black cable clutched in one hand. He was moving furtively, coming up behind where Jaina and her parents stood. At least Tahiri a.s.sumed it was a "he." The oversuit that the tech wore was designed to protect its wearer from hostile environments, and as such was too heavy and bulky to reveal the being's gender or even species.

She knew that Han hadn't authorized any maintenance on his s.h.i.+p while they were docked, though, so she stepped forward to intercept the tech before he could get any closer. "Hey!" she called. "You're not supposed to be here!" The suited figure hesitated, - then changed direction to head toward Tahiri. She stopped in her tracks, the grip on her lightsaber instinctively tightening.

"Hold it right there," she warned.

"I bring a message," the figure said. The voice issuing from inside his helmet was distorted like a stormtrooper's.

Tahiri's brow creased with suspicion. "What kind of message? And who's it for?""Han Solo," the technician said. "I need to tell him to be careful. Things here are not as they seem."

"Things rarely are these days," she returned. Her grip on the lightsaber eased slightly. The precise form of the person inside the suit was hidden, but her instincts were clear.

"You're a Ryn, aren't you?" The figure seemed slightly taken aback.

"How did you-?"

"I met one of you on Galantos," she explained. More confident now, she took another two steps forward. "He was the one who suggested we come here, actually. He told us that-" She stopped in midsentence when the helmet shook. "Now is not the time," the Ryn said, glancing around. "I shall contact you again later. For now, though, please pa.s.s on my message to Captain Solo." Tahiri nodded. "Okay, but you're not really telling him anything new. He's always careful, and I think he's already guessed that something strange is going on here." The Ryn didn't seem to be listening.

He glanced around as though fearful he might be seen talking to her out in the open.

"I must go," he said. "You've been allocated quarters should you wish to stay longer than today. I urge you to take them. You'll find what you need there." Without another word, the Ryn turned and made his way back the way he'd come. Tahiri stood watching him. She was finding herself becoming increasingly intrigued by the Ryn and their guarded hints.

"Trouble, Tahiri?" She jumped at Han's voice so close to her shoulder. She shook her head, conscious of the security guards watching them closely from the edge of the landing field.

Han glowered at the Ryn's retreating back. "There'd better not be,"

he said.

"What did he say, anyway?" Tahiri lowered her voice. "That was our contact. The Ryn. He said to tell you that things here aren't what they seem." Han rolled his eyes. "When are they ever?" Tahiri smiled nervously. "That's just what I said."

"Anything else?" She repeated what the Ryn had told her about accepting an offer of accommodation.

Han nodded, casting one final glance at the Ryn as if tempted to follow him.

"Okay." He put an arm about her shoulder and guided her back to where the others stood waiting. "It's nothing," he called to them. "Let's get on with it." Jaina gave Tahiri a penetrating once-over as she joined the group, but nothing further was said. Together they walked to where the security guards awaited them. As the uniformed guards surrounded them to escort them through the doors, Tahiri found herself filled with misgivings. It felt like they'd done all this before...

The harsh white of reflected sunlight belied the cold heart of Csilla. The briefest orbital scan of the icebound world revealed dozens of glaciers around the equator, as well as solid ice shelves that covered vast expanses of the planet. It made other frozen worlds like Hoth look positively temperate.

And yet, incredibly, it was inhabited. Huge cities skated the glacial fields like Mon Calamari water skimmers, riding the near-geologic flow of the ice; others buried themselves deep under the cold, tunneling into bedrock in search of geothermal warmth far below.

"Chilly," Jacen said, staring in muted awe out at the swarms of clawcraft that silently flanked Jade Shadow as she arrived in orbit.

Images of the Chiss home planet had previously been nonexistent. Luke and Mara's last expedition to Chiss s.p.a.ce, years earlier, had taken them nowhere near the heart of the alien empire.

"You talking about the planet or this reception?" Danni asked.

Jacen smiled at the quip. "You'd think with the pick of any of the worlds in the Unknown Regions that they'd have chosen one a bit more agreeable than this one. I mean, why stay here when there are so many warmer climates nearby? "

"Sheer obstinacy," Mara answered from her position in Jade Shadow's pilot's seat. "You've seen how Jag and his pilots operate. Well, multiply that by ten and you might come up with something that approximates your average Chiss.

Remember, Vanguard Squadron represents the imaginative, risk-taking extreme. The everyday stubbornness you'll find on Csilla would even make the Hutts look accommodating." A brisk voice advised the incoming delegation from the Galactic Alliance of their allotted orbit. "You will not deviate from this vector," they were warned, "unless instructed to do so."

"We understand," Mara replied, unable to hold the irritation from her voice.

"But is there someone who can-"Commander Irolia is the intermediary you have been allocated. She will attend you on this frequency and address any queries or concerns you may have at this time." With that, the line went dead.

"Looks like our friend Commander Irolia beat us here," Mara said.

"Well, at least it'll be a familiar voice," Jacen said.

"Ask for her," Luke said from the navigator's chair. "Tell her we want permission to send a landing party."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Which: landing or asking?" Luke smiled fleetingly. Then, soberly, he added, " Listen, Mara, if it's not safe to deal with the Chiss now, with Imperials on our side, I fear it never will be." Mara acquiesced without further comment, and Jacen leaned back in his seat to listen to the conversation. It was brief, as expected. Irolia replied to Mara's request with a briskness suggesting that she had antic.i.p.ated it days ago.

She gave them a window and uploaded a reentry corridor to R2-D2's navigation banks.

The stubby droid whistled to indicate that he'd received it, and that was that.

"Do you require the shuttle?" Captain Yage asked over the command frequency. "I think we'll take Shadow down this time," Luke said.

"Instruct Hegerty to gear up and-"

"Actually, Soron Hegerty won't be going along on this trip," Yage cut in. "The incident on Munlali Mafir proved a little too much for the doctor. She's opted to stay aboard and sit this one out, if that's all right." Jacen could see his uncle's disappointment. Since leaving on this mission, the doctor and Lieutenant Stalgis had a.s.sisted Luke and his party on a number of occasions. His uncle was thankful for this, as it reflected cooperation between the Empire and the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances-and the more this could be seen happening, the easier it would be to sway the cynics in the Alliance.

Her decision to sit this mission out would no doubt start rumors among those cynics.

"Okay," he said, nodding. "Can you organize us a ground party? That window's in an hour, so we'll need to move quickly."

"Testing our mettle," Yage said, almost audibly grinding her teeth.

"We're more than a match for that trumped-up power princess." Luke smiled at his wife as Yage closed the line. "I think Irolia might have won herself an enemy."

"Not hard," Mara agreed. "After all, the commander isn't particularly trying to make any friends." A thought struck Jacen then.

"Do you think she's been sent to us deliberately?" Luke turned in his seat. "To see how we'll react?" He thought for a moment.

"Could be that someone much higher up than Irolia is testing us."

"Don't worry," Mara said. "Arien is right. We're more than ready for the Chiss."

"I've no doubt about that," Luke said. He faced the front again. "

But it's not Chiss I'm worried about." Jade Shadow came in low over the western arm of what would have been a crescent-shaped continent on a more temperate planet. Deep-surface radar revealed scoured rock two kilometers down, buckled and split by the weight of the ice above. Melt channels and refreezing fissures had created a fiendishly complicated network of caves and tunnels throughout the ice, and it was in these tunnels that the Chiss had built the city of Ac'siel.

Above the ice shelf, all that was visible was an equilateral triangle consisting of three craterous s.p.a.ceports linked bv lines of towers that could have been ma.s.sive observation antenna and weapons installations.

Or perhaps, Jacen thought, just there to intimidate.

The wind howled like a lovelorn wampa, tearing at the hull of Jade Shadow as Mara brought her down to the s.p.a.ceport they'd been allocated.

Her hands moved deftly over the controls, guiding the s.h.i.+p with natural ease.

Back in the pa.s.senger bay, Jacen waited with the rest of the landing party. Outside, heat differentials whipped the storms into a fury, creating an illusion of dynamic processes that might eventually lead to life, but the ice always won out in the end. Where water froze, only the meanest organisms could evolve, and only the toughest survive.

The Chiss clearly fit into the latter category, clinging to their world tooth and claw, no matter how much it tried to freeze them out.

Danni followed Jacen to the air lock when they had touched down.

"Ready when you are," she said as the air lock hissed open.

Together, they stepped outside.

He had expected to find himself in the middle of an icy storm, but instead the air was warm and still. They had landed inside a large docking bay that was sealed against the elements by a flickering force field high above. The ferrocrete platform beneath his feet was clean and dry, and sloped down to where a small welcoming party waited for them.

Seven officers dressed in purple-and-black uniforms stood to attention, their blue skins looking like marble under the arc lights. Jacen couldn't tell if Commander Irolia was one of them, but he offered a small wave of acknowledgment anyway. There was no response.

"Nothing untoward," he sent to Mara and Luke via comlink.

Moments later they joined him and Danni outside Jade Shadow. Luke came first, followed by Lieutenant Stalgis and Mara. A second stormtrooper would stay with Jade Shadow, along with Tekli and Saba. The air lock sealed behind them.