THIRTY-TWO
Admiral Traest Kre’fey seated himself in the tactical chamber room of his flagship, the Ralroost. His violet eyes were sternly set, but Jaina nevertheless felt a brief but tangible impulse to stroke his fur, which was whiter than the wastes of Hoth. Contrasted with his black flight suit, it positively shone.
It was a feeling that evaporated immediately when the dignified Bothan began to speak.
“I’ve reviewed all of the information presented me,” he said. “General Antilles, is there anything missing? Any other little surprises?”
“No, Admiral,” Wedge replied. He glanced aside at Kyp. “Not that I know of.”
“Well,” the admiral mused. “Who would have guessed that the Yuuzhan Vong were another pack of superweapon aficionados. I thought we were done with that when we were done with the Empire.”
“Apparently not,” Gavin Darklighter said dryly. “I share General Antilles’s distrust of Kyp Durron, but—”
“This I’m getting tired of.” Kyp grunted and stood. “If you will excuse me, I’ll go destroy it myself—with my lightsaber if I have to. This isn’t worth the bother.”
“Oh, Kyp, sit down and let Colonel Darklighter finish,” Jaina snapped.
“Yes, why don’t you do that?” Admiral Kre’fey said dryly. “And in the meantime, why don’t you credit me with the brains to sort things out for myself, without the benefit of your posturing? Believe it or not, Master Durron, I can sympathize with you to a certain extent. Like yourself, I’ve found it more productive to fight the Yuuzhan Vong in my own way, without bureaucratic shackles. It has made me quite as unpopular as you are.”
Kyp dropped his head fractionally. “Your pardon, Admiral. I’m an admirer of yours; I’ll make no secret of that. If I could have found you, I would have proposed alliance long ago. But about one thing you are mistaken. While the New Republic may have little use for either of us, you are still better liked in most quarters, as present company demonstrates.”
“Well, son,” the admiral said, “I suspect that in great measure that is a burrow you’ve buried yourself in. Don’t expect anyone else to dig you out.”
Kyp merely nodded and returned to his seat.
“Admiral,” Gavin said, “may I continue?”
“Please.”
“I was saying that Durron and his Dozen-or-so went to what must have been desperate lengths to get this information. You remember, Admiral—we were there before the Yuuzhan Vong buttoned down the system as tightly as they could. What he got out of that is the clearest proof we’re going to get that the Yuuzhan Vong are priming something very dangerous indeed. It’s my opinion that we ought to do something about it.”
“General Antilles?”
Wedge clicked his tongue. “I agree,” he said.
“As do I,” the Bothan concurred. “You see, Master Durron, what another moment of silence would have cost you? Nothing at all.”
“I understand, Admiral. My apologies.”
“Very well. I’ve been looking for a good target to take out, and this will do nicely. The nice thing about super-weapons is that they are usually big, and this one seems no exception. I should think we will be able to hit it.”
“Hitting it will be the very least of our worries,” Gavin said. “From what Kyp said, the Yuuzhan Vong have pretty much mapped all the safe hyperspace jumps near the weapon and have them effectively blockaded. Since Sernpidal is also one of their major shipyards, and since the Yuuzhan Vong haven’t started any new offensives lately, we can expect a pretty warm reception.”
“I’m sure that’s so, Colonel Darklighter. However, I have information that perhaps you do not. Sernpidal is one of the several parts of occupied territory that has been of interest to me in the past months. I’ve watched it—from somewhat a greater distance and with a good deal more caution than Master Durron, but I have watched traffic to and from it. In the last week, a large number of ships have departed Sernpidal. I was unable to determine where they were bound.”
“A new push?”
“Possibly they are merely reinforcing their borders with new ships,” Kre’fey said. “Or perhaps they are preparing the way for this superweapon of theirs. I should hasten to point out that nothing nearly the size of the weapon has been observed leaving, so it is presumably still there.”
“But maybe not for long, if the Yuuzhan Vong are about to renew their Coreward advance,” Wedge mused. “Maybe the whole peace-for-Jedi deal was an even greater ruse than we suspected—not just to get rid of the Jedi, but to give them the time to finish growing that thing.”
“We’re agreed, then, the sooner we act the better,” Kre’fey said.
“Sure,” Gavin said. “But getting in—”
“I have an idea about that,” the Bothan said. “If I may.”
“Of course, Admiral.”
“When Colonel Darklighter and I last entered the Sernpidal system, we were able to evade the Yuuzhan Vong defenses because when Sernpidal was destroyed, the redistribution of the planet’s mass opened up new hyperspace entry and exit points in the resulting asteroid field. The Yuuzhan Vong couldn’t risk jumping into the asteroids after us because they hadn’t calculated the positions of those points. By now, they must have accounted for all such locations. Master Durron, what enabled you to enter the system after those shifts were accounted for by the Yuuzhan Vong?”
“The Force, Admiral, is a powerful ally. I’ve had some experience with using the Force to read gravitic fields. We awaited our opportunity, and we got it when they tested their weapon. The size of the gravitic anomaly shifted the gravitic profile of the asteroid belt enough for us to risk a jump.”
“And we may now assume they have countered that possibility.”
“It seems likely.”
“What I propose, then, is this. I know where I can procure an old Immobilizer-class Interdictor. She’s not much to look at. She was hulled in battle and left adrift, where she was largely gutted by scavengers. Two of her mass-shadow generators are intact, however. I’d begun restoring her, but it’s a dauntingly expensive task. She’s got no life support, half her armor is gone, and she lacks engines. However, I could fit her with a hyperdrive and shields quite easily. We could then tow her where we need her.”
“Oh, I like this,” Wedge said, rubbing his hands together. “It’s crazy—begging the Admiral’s pardon—but—”
“You’re going too fast for me, Admiral, General,” Jaina said.
“We jump the Interdictor into one of the blockaded coordinates,” Kre’fey explained. “No crew, with rudimentary automation. The instant it arrives, its shields go up and the gravity wells go on.”
“And it lasts about half a minute, if that,” Jaina replied.
“Which is plenty,” Wedge explained. “The gravitic fluctuation will shift things enough to move the safe entry point. We should be able to calculate where to. Two seconds after we send the Interdictor, we start piling star-fighters through. Hopefully the difference in location will be great enough that we’ll miss whatever nasty surprise they have waiting for the next ship to attempt a deep-space jump.”
“Exactly, General,” Kre’fey said.
“That’ll work,” Gavin said. “At least, I think it will.”
“It will get us in where they aren’t expecting us,” Wedge said. “More, we can’t ask for.”
“It will be enough,” Kyp said excitedly. “It will do.” The rogue Jedi stood. “I am prepared to place my people under your command, Admiral, for the duration of this mission. I’m sure you’ll put us to good use.”
“I’m sure I will, Master Durron. We should begin coordinating now. In two days’ time, the Yuuzhan Vong will discover that someone in this galaxy still has teeth. Strong, sharp ones. Let’s reconvene in three hours’ time to discuss the specifics. For now we’re adjourned.”