THIRTY-FOUR

“Looks like it was built for children,” Tahiri commented as the three humans were escorted through Yag’Dhul Station.

“Rebels built it during the war with the Empire,” Corran informed her. “I’ve heard it said that they made it small to give stormtroopers a hard time if they ever invaded.”

“What’s all that on the walls?” Every square centimeter seemed to be covered with fractal patterns and notation in some sort of script. Now and then something seemed vaguely familiar, more often not.

“Givin decorative motifs, I’d guess. Rogue Squadron sure didn’t paint this stuff.”

“Looks mathematical,” Anakin said.

The four Givin guards, who might have cleared things up, either didn’t speak Basic or had no desire to talk. Soon enough, however, they were gently pressed into the largest room Anakin had seen thus far. It still wasn’t very big, but tactical stations and a bank of holoprojectors with various views of the surrounding space made it somehow comforting after the Yuuzhan Vong ship. This was tech he was familiar with.

The Givin waiting for them was not as comforting. His exoskeleton had been painted with many of the same symbols Anakin had seen on the walls. Anakin guessed him to be the same one who had demanded their surrender.

“Dodecian Illiet, I presume,” Corran said.

The Givin rose. He spoke in oddly clattering Basic. It sounded somehow more mechanical than it had over the comm.

“I am he,” he replied.

“Have I had the pleasure? You seem to know my name.”

“We made it our business to know who was in our space. You were among those waging war against Ysanne Isard from here.”

“We had the permission of your government when we were here.”

“Another spring tide cubed, another government,” the Givin replied. “I did not recognize you myself—soft-bodied creatures are difficult for us to distinguish between, except at the rudest scale. Our computer system compared voice and facial records and estimated your identity at a 98.2 percent probability. I confess, I was uncomfortable with such a high margin of error, but when I addressed you your reaction seemed to confirm the probability. Are you indeed he?”

“I am Corran Horn, yes,” Corran replied. “Any grievance you have against Rogue Squadron is mine. It does not adhere to these two.”

“The only grievance against you is entering our system and apparently beginning an attack run on our station. That, however, is a rather severe charge.”

“I apologize again,” Corran said. “I hope it was noted that we did not fire on you, even when fired upon.”

“It is so noted and numerated. I shall be happy to hear you balance the equation before us.”

Anakin couldn’t feel a trace of deception in the dodecian, and he was trying. That seemed a good sign, at least.

“I think these are the right guys, Corran.”

Corran shot him a cautioning glance, but addressed his next sentence to the Givin.

“We’ve come to warn you, Dodecian Illiet, that a Yuuzhan Vong fleet is preparing an invasion of this system. The ship we were piloting was a scout ship we captured. It was designed to come here unnoticed and contact some faction of your own people. This faction has apparently arranged for your defensive grid to collapse shortly, to facilitate the invasion.”

The Givin absorbed this silently, though Anakin got the impression he was also listening to someone else, commenting on what Corran was saying.

“Explain in detail,” the Givin finally said.

“There’s not much time—”

“You leave us with too many unknown factors. More detail.”

Corran laid it all out, starting from their jump into the Yuuzhan Vong fleet, ending with their surrender. The Givin asked few questions, seeming content mostly to listen. When Corran was finished, the dodecian rapped his fingers against the table. They sounded almost as if they were made of ceramic.

“You are Jedi,” he said at last. “The Yuuzhan Vong seek you.”

“Yes.”

“Perhaps you tell me this only to save yourselves.”

“If you don’t believe me, double-check your defensive grid.”

“It is being done,” the Givin replied.

“You’ll have proof enough when the Yuuzhan Vong show up,” Tahiri blurted.

“True,” the Givin said, apparently not caring which of the humans it was speaking to. “But even so, what use have they for our system?”

“We think they wish to stage a strike at Thyferra, and perhaps then the Core.”

“Ah. So they have the same use for our system that you did, Corran Horn.”

“Umm … yes.”

“And perhaps as little impact on our way of life.”

“You think so? And yet these Givin I first spoke to were collaborating with the Yuuzhan Vong for some reason.”

“Yes, that is of concern,” the dodecian said. “Our politics are … complex, and needn’t concern you. However, though such collusion with the Yuuzhan Vong might have been designed to upset the Coalition of Factors, there is still no reason to suspect that the Yuuzhan Vong actually pose a threat to our species.”

“But,” Anakin said, “they pose a threat to this station, and to your shipyards. The Yuuzhan Vong hate all technology.”

“Then perhaps we will hide the ships until they have gone.”

“Consider,” Corran said. “Since I was last here you’ve taken pains to integrate with the economy of the New Republic. You crewed this station, as I understand it, so your system would no longer be a battleground for foreign powers. You expanded your shipbuilding capabilities. Will you risk sacrificing that?”

“We certainly risk it if we engage the Yuuzhan Vong in combat. From what we understand, they can be quite formidable.”

Tahiri abruptly interrupted. “If you don’t fight them, you’ll be slaves,” she said. Her voice had gone low and weird, as it had when she thought she was a Yuuzhan Vong, back on Yavin 4.

“There is no reason to suspect that.”

Tahiri laughed. “I was a Yuuzhan Vong captive. I’ve seen what they do. Don’t you get it? Right, they may be staging a strike on Thyferra from here. They may have ten reasons for being here. But I can tell you what one of them is.”

“Explain,” the Givin said.

“You. Your species. The Yuuzhan Vong make every tool they use from living things. They believe life was given to them by the gods to shape. You think they aren’t interested in ready-made sentient beings who can survive in vacuum? The things they could make with you! They’ll blow up this station and blast your ships and cities into ions. Then they’ll take you and give you to their shapers. That will be the end of your complicated politics, Dodecian.”

“Emperor’s bones, she’s right,” Anakin said.

The Givin was silent for a half minute. “You really think this is true?” he asked at last.

“If you let them in without a fight, you’ve got no chance,” Tahiri assured him.

The Givin paused again, and again Anakin got the impression he was listening to some far-off voice.

“It is confirmed,” the dodecian said. “The defensive grid has been sabotaged. Fortunately, it can be remedied.”

“Does that mean you’ll fight?” Corran asked.

“I do not know. That decision does not lie with me. But we have taken into account all you said.”

“Let me contact Coruscant,” Corran said. “I can try to get more ships here, though I can’t promise anything.”

“I will enter that request,” the Givin said.

“Another thing. What have you done with the Yuuzhan Vong we took captive?”

“They are being questioned, to verify or dispute your story.”

“But Taan—” Tahiri began.

“Will be fine,” Corran said, cutting her off.

“The prisoner will not be harmed,” the dodecian confirmed. “Now. If you will accompany my aide, you will be provided with quarters and repast fit for your species.”

“Are we prisoners?”

“I would prefer you did not think of yourselves as such. You have been allowed to retain your Jedi weapons. But I would also prefer you remain confined to the quarters we assign you. The station is delicate. Were there to be violence of any sort, it could well suffer explosive decompression.”

“I understand,” Corran said stiffly.

Anakin did, too. It was a polite threat. Try to escape—suck vacuum. That was an equation it didn’t take a Givin to understand.

“That is well,” the dodecian replied.

Anakin caught something, then, from the dodecian, something so tangible it almost formed words. If it were put into words, it would go something like, We have Jedi to bargain with. That also is a factor.