CHAPTER SEVEN

Leia Organa Solo sat silently in the passenger compartment of the Marketta-class shuttle Chandrila Moon. Her two Noghri bodyguards, Olmahk and Basbakhan, sat behind her in the craft’s narrow cabin. In contrast to the woman seated in the row in front of her, Leia sensed only calm from the two Noghri. Danni Quee, on the other hand, threw off fear the way a fire gives off heat.

Leia forced herself to breathe in deeply, then slowly exhale, letting her tension slowly bleed away. Some of it, anyway. The journey from Coruscant to Bastion had been undertaken under the tightest security possible. The ship kept away from heavily traveled routes, plotted a convoluted course to its destination, and then, when the Victory-class Star Destroyer Protector arrived at the Bastion system, it waited at the edge, its shields down, weapons unpowered.

Bastion’s reaction was swift, sending out an Imperial-class Star Destroyer—the Relentless—to query the Protector concerning the intentions of the New Republic. Leia had indicated she had information she needed to communicate to Admiral Gilad Pellaeon. The Remnant ship had broken off communications for two hours, then instructed Leia that she, her personal staff, and two pilots could bring a single shuttle into the system.

Admiral Aril Nunb of the Protector had insisted that for Leia to comply would be to put herself in the hands of the enemy. Leia acknowledged this was true. Many of the Remnant’s people still clung to the former glory they had known in the Empire. A whole new generation had grown up since the Emperor’s death, and all the wants they felt were blamed on the Rebellion. Leia, as a leader of same, and the chief of state for the New Republic during all but the final battles with the Remnant, became the focus for much bitterness. People from the Remnant tried to disrupt Luke and Mara’s wedding, and it would be foolish to assume I’m safe here.

Still, if the greater threat of the Yuuzhan Vong was to be dealt with, the Remnant would have to be informed of what was going on and convinced their fate and that of the New Republic were intertwined. She once again pressed Danni into service as a witness to the depredations of the Yuuzhan Vong. She assumed the Imperials would find Danni as convincing as the people of Agamar had.

Leia reached forward between the seats and patted Danni on the shoulder. “It’s not going to be a disaster, Danni.”

“Thank you.” The younger woman covered Leia’s hand with her own. “Every time I start feeling sorry for myself, I just remember where Senator A’Kla is going, and I know I have the easy course.”

“I’m afraid you’re right.” Leia sat back in her seat. She remembered back to seeing Elegos off on his solo mission to Dubrillion. She’d been surprised that she caught no fear from him despite the risks he would be taking. She commented on that fact, eliciting a smile from the gold-furred alien.

“The truth is that I feel no fear.” He blinked his big eyes. “I know this mission could end in death for me, but that seems a small concern weighed against a war that will kill many. And, I must confess, I have an immense curiosity concerning the Yuuzhan Vong. I would assume they have a similar curiosity about us, which means we have a currency of exchange between us. This will make negotiation possible and, I hope, fruitful.”

Leia had hugged him and relished feeling his strong arms around her. “You don’t have to go, Elegos. There are other ways.”

He’d held her out at arm’s length. “Are there, Leia? The Yuuzhan Vong hate machines, so sending any sort of droid or mechanical device to convey our best wishes to them would be an insult. Based on Anakin’s experience on Dantooine, we know they respect boldness, hence this mission. If I return, perhaps more bloodshed can be forestalled.”

“And if you do not?”

“Then your knowledge of the Yuuzhan Vong will be that much greater.” He gave her a simple smile. “I know the danger I am in, but for me to live in peace without taking this chance is impossible. You could no more abandon your acceptance of responsibility than I can. You just make wiser choices in exercising it than I do.”

Leia had agreed then, but as the screen in the front of the cabin showed the Chimaera looming larger, and Bastion’s customs station yet larger, she had second thoughts. She’d last seen the ship when the peace between the Remnant and New Republic had been signed. Her focus on New Republic internal affairs and her subsequent retirement from government had insulated her from contacts between the Remnant and the New Republic. She found herself lacking a sense of the Remnant, which meant she didn’t know how difficult it would be for Admiral Pellaeon to offer help.

Even the briefing documents she’d studied on the way out had not given her as complete a feel for the politics of the region as she might have liked. While a number of unreconstructed Imperials had fled to the Remnant, taking a vast amount of wealth with them, economic development of the region had gone slowly. Only a few pockets had the amenities of Coruscant available, and there were portions of worlds where people lived in grinding poverty. The availability of cheaper goods from the New Republic had crippled several industries, and outbreaks of rioting connected with imports had been reported.

On the diplomatic front, things had remained cordial between the two nations. Leia put a lot of that down to the efforts of Talon Karrde. At the time of the peace he had proposed and created an agency that facilitated the exchange of intelligence data between the two realms. This bled off much of the paranoia by hard-liners in each nation, though limited suspicions did remain. According to the files Leia had been given, little or none of the data about the Yuuzhan Vong had been released to Karrde and the Remnant, so while they might know something was going on, they wouldn’t have details.

If that has spiked their paranoia, this mission might be doomed before it starts.

The pilot’s voice echoed through the cabin. “We have permission to set down in the primary docking bay at the customs station. Estimated time of arrival is three minutes.”

Danni turned around in her seat, came up on her knees, and peered down at Leia. “We’ll actually be meeting the Admiral Pellaeon?”

“It’s possible, and if true, a very good sign.” Leia sighed. “Diplomacy can be a game, Danni. When we went to Agamar and asked to speak to the Agamarian Council, the fact that I had been chief of state of the New Republic pretty much guaranteed I would be granted access and allowed to speak. My addressing the council was seen as an honor for them.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Pellaeon may have factions within the Remnant that oppose the New Republic, and if they are strong enough, it might be political suicide for him to meet with me. In that case a functionary will conduct the preliminary negotiations. If it’s a lowly staffer, our mission is doomed. If it is someone higher up—a deputy minister of state, which is roughly my equal as protocol is concerned—we have a chance of pushing our case and getting favorable results.”

Danni smiled. “I think astrophysics is easier than diplomacy or politics.”

“Oh, I don’t know. In politics we have black holes, pulsars, things that give off more heat than light.” Leia smiled up at Danni. “I can’t remember a time when politics was not part of my life. I’m fortunate that I took to it well. I will admit, though, retirement was fun, and I look forward to it again.”

The gentle hum of the shuttle’s wings retracting was followed by a bump as the shuttle settled to the customs station’s deck. The egress hatch hissed open—the hiss being more than enough to mask the sound of Basbakhan crossing to the landing ramp to forestall any assault. Olmahk stood between the gantry and Leia, then nodded at her to come forward when his partner indicated all was clear.

Leia moved past the gray-skinned aliens. The Noghri, with their small stature, appeared almost childlike, save for their fierce features. She knew from experience just how powerful and deadly they could be, either bare-handed, or wielding the lethal knives they wore. The Noghri were quick and dedicated to her safety.

The Yuuzhan Vong killed Bolphur on Dantooine, which is why I now have two Noghri to accompany me. A shiver ran down her spine. Twenty years earlier she couldn’t have imagined any creatures more deadly than the Noghri, but a Yuuzhan Vong warrior had killed Bolphur with his bare hands.

Leia descended the landing ramp and was pleased to see two squads of stormtroopers lined up beside a white walkway painted on the deck. The formality and ceremony of the welcome boded well for the mission. Beyond them were three officials in Imperial uniforms, though one of them bore no rank insignia. She let Basbakhan precede her through the gauntlet of stormtroopers, then she paused and waited for the envoys to come forward.

The civilian, a woman only slightly taller than Leia, did so. “Welcome, Consul. I am Miat Temm. This is Colonel Harrak and Major Pressin.”

Leia shook hands with each in turn, then waved Danni forward. “This is Danni Quee, my aide.”

The Imperials acknowledged Danni with a nod, then Miat pointed toward a turbolift. “If you would come this way, the admiral is waiting.”

As they rode up in the lift in silence, Leia gently used the Force to get a sense of the Imperials. From the two military men she caught insecurity masked by arrogance, and a fair amount of confusion about her and their being asked to attend her. From Miat she got almost nothing. She’s blocking me! Leia suppressed a smile and wondered if any of Pellaeon’s enemies knew Temm had Force abilities.

The lift opened, and Miat led them into a large reception room that had a wall of transparisteel that allowed them to look out at the Chimaera. Leia took this as a very good sign. Beyond it sat her ship and, below, the world of Bastion, all looking very peaceful.

Admiral Pellaeon, clad in the white uniform of a grand admiral, stood at the far end of a white table. He had no guards with him and wore no weapons. He smiled as they entered, and waved Leia toward the seat at his right hand.

“It is good to see you again, Consul Organa Solo. Please, come, be seated, and tell me what has prompted your visit.” He nodded to his own people, indicating their place was along the other side of the table. “If you need any refreshment, this can be arranged. You have a comlink, yes, Major Pressin?”

“Yes, Admiral.”

Leia smiled. “Nothing right now, thank you.” She shook Pellaeon’s hand and returned his smile, then introduced Danni as her aide.

Pellaeon greeted her with a nod of his white-maned head. “Please, be seated.”

Leia sat and noted how Pellaeon turned his chair to face her, leaving his back to his aides. Miat did not seem to mind, but the two officers were clearly put out. Pellaeon wants them off guard and unsettled for some reason, but why?

Leia leaned in toward Pellaeon, capitalizing on his openness. “I have come to correct a problem we’ve had sharing information with you. Something very important has happened, something that could determine the future of both the New Republic and the Remnant.”

Pellaeon nodded slowly. “You’re referring to the fall of Dubrillion.”

Leia managed to cover her surprise, but Danni could not. “How did you know?”

The flesh around the admiral’s dark eyes tightened. “Dubrillion and other New Republic worlds that border our space are of interest to us. I’m certain, Consul, it will come as no surprise that we had agents on Dubrillion. While the messages they got out did not contain a lot of information, we knew something was amiss. The cessation of their communications confirmed it was a serious problem.”

He lifted his chin. “I will also tell you that I know of Danni Quee. We had an agent on Belkadan, at the ExGal project. Any site designed for the gathering of intelligence has an interest for us. We’ve not heard from our agent since what we presume to have been the facility’s destruction.”

Danni blinked. “Who?”

Pellaeon shook his head. “Let’s leave the dead, dead, shall we?”

Leia nodded. “You know some of what has gone on, then. I have a data card that will fill in the technical details, but the brief is this: Humanoid aliens from outside the galaxy have attacked or destroyed half a dozen worlds on the Rim. They exhibit an extreme technophobia, are merciless in combat, take slaves, and are ruthless in dealing with them. They are called the Yuuzhan Vong, and we, as yet, have established no direct diplomatic connection with them. Danni was one of their captives for a while and has had the most direct contact with them among our people.”

The admiral sat back, lacing his fingers together and letting them rest against his chin. “You have come to us to ask for aid in dealing with the Yuuzhan Vong?”

Leia nodded. “You, perhaps better than anyone, know the difficulty of dealing with an enemy who can strike anywhere. And let me speak frankly, internal dissent within the New Republic is not at the boiling point, but New Republic military forces are needed to police disputes. At the same time there are vocal segments of the population who, because of the peace accords, think the military should stand down, demobilize, and that no more money should be budgeted to defense. While the Yuuzhan Vong invasion, if it goes unchecked, could bring everyone together, the unity would come too late. We need to stop them now. We have a force that will function very well as an anvil, but we need a hammer.”

A grim grin tugged at the corners of Pellaeon’s mouth. “I would have thought the Jedi would act as your hammer.”

“As the data files will point out, the Yuuzhan Vong are resistant to Force powers. The Jedi are doing all they can to help in this situation, but there aren’t enough of them to be able to handle a problem of this magnitude.”

Pellaeon glanced back at the two military men. “Your request has not gone unanticipated, Consul. These men have told me, at various times, that any military cooperation with the New Republic would be a trap. You would lure our ships away from our home and destroy them, then finish your conquest of Imperial space. They had not anticipated this very scenario, but their cautions are not easily dismissed. To them, this threat is a sham.”

Leia smiled coldly at the two men. “Your intelligence forces must already know that my daughter, my sixteen-year-old daughter, has joined Rogue Squadron. She did so at Dubrillion, and your sources would have told you that the squadron has just replaced over half its personnel. If I did not think the Yuuzhan Vong were a grave threat, do you think I would allow my child to have joined the military?”

Colonel Harrak ran a finger around between his neck and the uniform’s collar. “Your children are Jedi.”

“And as I said, the Jedi have little edge against the Yuuzhan Vong.”

Pellaeon raised a finger, cutting off Harrak’s reply. “All right, Consul. I will review the material you have brought. I am not unsympathetic to your plight, and I, as well as many others in the Empire, do feel a responsibility for the people of the New Republic. They may have rejected us, but we have not rejected them. If we are able, we will help.”

Leia nodded. “I can’t ask for more than that.”

“You could, Consul, you could.” Pellaeon returned her nod. “Let’s hope this will be enough.”