CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
The light from the holographic representation of the Ithorian system splashed over the faces of the people gathered in the briefing room. Luke watched it shift and change as Admiral Kre’fey altered the perspective. The image’s center soared out around Ithor in a spiral orbit, flashing past the city-ships as they crept slowly away from what had been their home.
The Bothan Admiral froze the image there. “The evacuation is proceeding pretty well. The city-ships are not structurally sound enough to make the jump to lightspeed, even if they could be fitted with hyperspace drives. We can and will keep them screened from the Vong force, while any ships we can round up will evacuate the people.”
Admiral Pellaeon nodded solemnly. “I would have never thought it possible to evacuate a planet’s entire population.”
Corran frowned. “We’ve not got them all away, not by a long shot. And there is plenty of life left behind on Ithor. We’re just taking away the most mobile parts of it.”
Kre’fey nodded and glanced down at the datapad he was using to control the holoprojector. “Best estimates are that we need a week or so to complete the evacuation, but that’s provided the extra shipping I’ve requested can get here. Already the price of passage from worlds like Agamar is spiking, so anyone with a ship that can haul a load is heading up there to get ‘self-loading freight.’ It is a race against time, and the chances to win it are quickly slipping away.”
The Jedi Master sighed, the gravity of the Bothan’s words weighing his spirit down. “Nothing your cousin can do?”
Traest Kre’fey laughed aloud. “No, not really. His advisors fled back to Coruscant on one of the first ships to go.”
Corran arched an eyebrow in surprise. “Borsk stayed behind?”
“He did.”
The Corellian Jedi held both hands out, palms up, as if they were either side of a scale. “Brave, stupid. Brave, stupid. Not sure which I want to believe of him.”
“As long as he does not cause trouble, I don’t care which it is.” The Bothan sighed. “Then again, the chances of his not causing trouble are minimal.”
“And really immaterial.” Pellaeon pressed his fingertips together. “Our engineers have finished the work on the ground station. The defenders, such as they are, are in position. Shells defending a shell, but it should be sufficient to fool the Vong.”
Luke nodded. “Good. The Jedi are very close to finishing our preparations on the Tafanda Bay. I’d prefer more time to make sure things will work properly, run some simulations, but we go when we go. It’s really up to the Yuuzhan Vong.”
“It is that, definitely.” Kre’fey hit a button on his datapad and the viewpoint’s spiral continued on out in a long arc toward the depths of the solar system. There, nestled between an asteroid belt and a gas giant, sat the Yuuzhan Vong fleet. The ships almost appeared to be a group of asteroids slowly leaving the belt to orbit the gas giant, but their course pointed inexoribly in toward Ithor itself.
The fleet’s image sent a chill down Luke’s spine.
The Bothan Admiral sat back and smoothed the white fur on his neck with both hands. “Ever since they showed up in the system I’ve been running dozens of simulations of the probable course of battle. With the forces allotted to both sides, the outcome is fairly consistent. We engage in space, inflict damage on each other, then retreat to the opposite sides of the world. At their current rate of advance, we engage in three days, perhaps four. One big battle, then a standoff.”
Gilead Pellaeon leaned forward and smoothed his moustache with thumb and forefinger. “I’ve requested reinforcements, and I know you have, too. What I don’t like about the simulations I’ve run is this: The Vong can peel off a small contingent of their ships and send them after the city-ships once we’ve settled into our standoff. We have to react, shifting the balance of power here. Ithor will be open to them.”
Corran’s green eyes narrowed. “Can these reinforcements come into the system in a position to cover the city-ships?”
The Imperial Admiral nodded. “That would be relatively simple to accomplish, and would put them in position to help with the evacuation, too.”
“And the evacuation is more important than killing any Yuuzhan Vong splinter force.” Luke looked at Corran. “What is it?”
The Corellian Jedi blinked, then glanced down at his hands. “Well, it sounds as if what we really need, instead of just a standoff, is a truce.”
Pelleaon nodded. “That would be most useful, but the fate of your Caamasi friend would suggest it’s unlikely.”
“Maybe not.”
Luke looked hard at Corran as a spiked wave of conflicting emotions erupted from the dark-haired Jedi. “What do you have in mind? You’ve been planning something.”
“Caught red-handed.” Corran’s lips pressed into a flat line. “I didn’t mean to deceive you, Luke. I know that’s not possible, but . . . You all heard what Shedao Shai said to me. I sent a message to Agamar. A day from now I expect to get those bones from the archeological team that recovered them. I’ll have something Shedao Shai wants.”
Luke shook his head. “You weren’t planning something stupid, were you? Were you going to bring them to the Tafanda Bay and use them as bait?”
“I don’t know what I was thinking. I hadn’t gotten as far as planning.” Corran looked at his open hands, then pressed them flat on the table top. “I just knew, I mean I knew I had to have those bones here. Maybe I’d shoot them into the sun and tell Shedao Shai I’d done that so he’d race his ship into the sun’s gravity well trying to get them, and then get all burned up. I don’t know.”
Kre’fey scratched at his chin. “Trade the bones for a truce? I’m not sure that would work.”
Corran shook his head. “It wouldn’t.”
Luke heard the uncertainty leave Corran’s voice. “What do you mean?”
“I was wrong when I said I had something Shedao Shai wants. I have two things. I have the bones, and I have me. I killed two of his kin on Bimmiel, so he killed Elegos. He wants to kill me.”
The Imperial admiral slowly smiled. “And you want to kill him.”
“I wouldn’t mind it.” The Corellian Jedi’s head came up. “What I propose is this: I challenge the Vong leader to a duel. He wins, he gets the bones. I win, I get Ithor. To set it up, we have a truce. How long do you want? A week? Two?”
“A week would be great, two would be better.” Kre’fey nodded. “This could work.”
Luke shook his head. “No, this can’t happen.”
“Master? Why not?”
“First, Borsk Fey’lya will never agree to it.”
Kre’fey cleared his throat. “What my cousin does not know will not hurt him.”
Corran nodded. “And if it does not work, if Shedao Shai does not agree, we don’t have to explain yet another Jedi failure.”
“Corran, it’s still not right. You challenge him to a duel, you become the aggressor. You’re coercing him into acting. That’s not what Jedi do.” You’re treading perilously close to the dark side, my friend. Luke did not voice his concern because he wasn’t at all sure how either Admiral would take it.
The green-clad Jedi sat silently for a moment, then slowly nodded. “I think I understand your concern, Master, but this goes back to the discussion at our meeting months ago. I can feel the focusing of Vong power. I know that to do this is to preempt Vong action. Elegos sent himself out to try to stop the invasion and, um, if I can do that, even for a day, the chances of more people escaping goes up. It may not be the choice we want to make, but it’s the only one that seems to be offering itself at the moment.”
“But the example you’ll set. You’ll be playing into Kyp’s hands.”
“I know.” Corran closed his eyes and sat back. “I wish there was another way, Master, but this one just feels right.”
Luke wanted to protest and forbid Corran from striking the bargain with the Yuuzhan Vong leader that had been proposed. He didn’t because of the sense of calm radiating from his colleague.
The Jedi Master looked at the two military men. “You two approve of this plan?”
Pelleaon snorted. “Of one man taking a vigilante action to decide the fate of a planet and its population? That’s the last thing the Empire would ever condone. Not only is it risky for the man on the spot, but it would encourage others to act in an insubordinate fashion if they felt their action was ‘right.’ Were he under my command, I would forbid this action, but he’s not. I also recognize how absolutely desperate things are, and if this will work, I’m willing to work with it. The decision is going to be up to his commanding officer.”
Admiral Kre’fey frowned. “I seem to remember there having been a good reason for recalling Colonel Horn to active duty, but it escapes me now.” He sighed. “I agree with Admiral Pelleaon. I don’t like this at all, but I think this is a chance we must take. Ships can only move so fast, so we need to win time more than the battle. At the very least this will win us time. If it safeguards Ithor, so much the better.”
Luke nodded solemnly. “There is a great deal I don’t like about this, but . . .” He glanced at Corran. “I trust your judgment. I know you will do the right thing.”
“Thank you, Master.”
Luke reached out and patted Corran on the shoulder. “We’ll work out a way to get the message to Shedao Shai. I will get you the plans as soon as we have them.”
Kre’fey stood and offered Luke his hand. “Just in case it never gets said, I appreciate the sacrifice you and your Jedi are making here. I wanted you to know that, in case we don’t make it through to the other side of this conflict.”
The image of Chewbacca flashed through Luke’s mind for a second, then he banished it with the sensation of meeting the Bothan’s firm, dry grip. “Thank you, Admiral. May the Force be with us all.”