Star Wars_ Allegiance Part 38

Trusting. . .

"Drop your weapons," LaRone confirmed quietly, lowering the barrel of his E-11 and bending over to set it onto the floor in front of him. From beside him came two soft clattering sounds, unnaturally loud in the silence, as Quiller and Grave did the same.

"I don't understand this at all," Ch.o.a.rd said, his voice still angry but starting to fill with confusion. "What in the worlds is going on?"

"What's going on," Marcross said, turning his E-11 around and handing it to the governor, "is that I've just saved your life." Taking a step back, he removed his helmet.

Ch.o.a.rd's eyes widened. "Saberan?"

"h.e.l.lo, Uncle Barshnis," Marcross said, nodding to him. "It's been a long time."

Chapter Twenty-Three.

The ballroom was as quiet as a crypt as Mara slipped through the door onto the balcony. The railing was a solid wall of carved marble, blocking her view of whatever activity-or lack of it-was going on down there.

Moving to the edge of the balcony, she eased an eye above the wall.

LaRone and his three stormtroopers were there, facing Ch.o.a.rd with perhaps a hundred other people standing dead-still around them. Marcross had taken off his helmet.

Ch.o.a.rd was holding Marcross's blaster rifle on LaRone, Grave, and Quiller.

Mara's first reaction was to breathe a silent sigh of relief. Not only had she made it to Ch.o.a.rd in time, but Marcross had apparently come forward and stopped LaRone from carrying out Mara's flawed execution order. Now all she had to do was get down there, confirm that the governor was in the clear, and get them searching for Disra and any of his allies who might still be at large.

"Your uncle?" LaRone said, his stunned voice carrying clearly up to the balcony.

"I told you I hung out with his son when I was a teen," Marcross reminded him. "You think a sector governor would let just any riffraff do that?"

"I still don't know what's going on, Saberan, but I'm immensely glad to see you," Ch.o.a.rd said. "What are you doing here? Are you and these others from Lord Vader's group?"

"No, we're a separate unit," Marcross said. "This is all of us there are, plus a colleague who's keeping most of your outside guards pinned down."

"I presume that's why no one's come to help," Ch.o.a.rd rumbled. "Now, tell me about this insane treason charge."

Mara looked around the edge of the balcony. To her annoyance, there appeared to be no stairways leading down to the main floor. She would have to either jump, which wouldn't do her burned feet and legs any good, or else go back out into the reception area and find a way down from there.

"They think you're involved in a plot to use pirate gangs to hara.s.s shipping and steal Imperial property," Marcross said. "In fact, there's an Imperial agent in Makrin City right now who was sent here to kill you." "I see," Ch.o.a.rd said, his tone suddenly thoughtful. "It seems to me the best plan would be to call Lord Vader and have him put you under the protection of the Five-oh-first while we get it all straightened out,"

Marcross continued: "Let me borrow your comlink-mine won't connect with any of their frequencies." He took a step toward Ch.o.a.rd- "I think not," the governor said quietly, swiveling the blaster rifle to point squarely at Marcross's stomach. "The last thing we want in here is more Imperials."

Mara stiffened, her relief transforming instantly into icy rage. So she'd been right the first time. Only instead of listening to her instincts, she'd let Caaldra and his smooth talk convince her otherwise. And now Marcross and the others were about to pay the price for her fail-She stretched out to the Force, trying to pull the blaster rifle from Ch.o.a.rd's hands. But the distance, the emotional turbulence generated by a roomful of stunned partygoers, and the simmering distraction of Mara's own burns combined to defeat her efforts.

Which left her only one option, only one chance to help LaRone and the others. Digging into one of her belt pouches, she pulled out the mist canister she'd been planning to use earlier to cover their approach across the palace grounds. The device wasn't really intended for indoor use, but with her blaster gone and her useless grenades back at the Happer's Way it was all she had.

Thumbing off the canister's safety catch, she stretched out to the Force for strength and prepared for action.

Marcross stopped short, staring at the governor. "Uncle?" he said, sounding stunned. "Uncle, what are you doing?"

"I'm getting out of here," Ch.o.a.rd answered, gesturing with the E-11 for Marcross to join the others. "It would have been nice to make the announcement of Shelsha's independence from the palace, but it's hardly necessary."

"What are you talking about?" Marcross demanded as he stepped back to LaRone's side. "Are you saying- you can't be serious."

"You never did understand how the galaxy really operates, did you, Saberan?" Ch.o.a.rd said contemptuously. "It's all about power, my idealistic little nephew: actual power, potential power, or perceived power. Fortunately, with the forces I now have at my command, I have all three."

"Tarkin had power, too," Grave reminded him coolly. "You saw where it got him."

Ch.o.a.rd snorted. "Tarkin was a fool. I won't make his mistakes." ------ "Then you'll make others," LaRone said. "People like you always do."

The E-11 swiveled to point at LaRone's chest. "No, it's people like you who make the mistakes," Ch.o.a.rd said. "Now, very quietly-"

"No, Uncle, he's right," Marcross said, his voice suddenly very tired.

"The mistakes were all yours. Your first was to give the BloodScars your private unregistered HoloNet contact, the one Crayg always called when he and I were offplanet and he needed extra money. It was the last call the pirates made-I saw it on their comm setup record."

LaRone looked at the other in surprise. So that was what had caused Marcross's reaction back on Gepparin, and why he'd been so quiet and tense ever since. The knowledge that his own uncle was committing treason...

"But I wasn't absolutely sure no one else had access to that number,"

Marcross went on. "So I had to give you this chance to prove it, one way or the other. That was your second mistake: you talk too much. You always did." He waved an arm at the crowd around them. "And this time in front of witnesses."

"They can babble all they want," Ch.o.a.rd bit out. His face had gone the color of a thundercloud, and his blaster rifle was now pointed at Marcross. "In an hour Shelsha's message of defiance will be all across the HoloNet."

Marcross shook his head. "No, Uncle. Because you made one final mistake."

He pointed at the weapon in the governor's grip. "You think that blaster is loaded."

And without warning, a small object arced over the crowd onto the floor directly in front of Ch.o.a.rd and exploded into a cloud of white mist.

Ch.o.a.rd jerked back in reaction, the blaster bolt lighting up the mist as he fired. But the sudden move had thrown off his aim, and the shot intended for the center of Marcross's chest shattered instead into his right upper arm. Marcross grunted, staggering a little with the impact.

"Troopers!" LaRone barked, ducking down and scooping up his E-11. But there was no need for orders. Grave and Quiller had already retrieved their weapons and were charging in opposite directions around the expanding mist, moving to flank their enemy. Gripping his E-11 firmly, LaRone charged straight into the cloud.

Only to be bounced straight back again as Ch.o.a.rd's huge bulk slammed into him, knocking him out of the mist and throwing him flat on his back on the floor. Spitting a curse, Ch.o.a.rd swung his stolen E-11 around to point at LaRone's face, his eyes crazed above the barrel as he squeezed the trigger.

Only this time, nothing happened.

He tried again, and again, the wildness in his eyes turning to sudden horror as he worked the useless weapon. Peripherally, LaRone saw Grave and Quiller charge back out of the mist, their E-11s tracking- "No!" LaRone barked. "No."

The two stormtroopers came to a slightly confused halt. "Commander?"

Grave asked uncertainly, his blaster still pointed at Ch.o.a.rd.

"He is a traitor, sir," Quiller reminded him darkly.

LaRone looked into Ch.o.a.rd's eyes, at the impotent rage and thwarted ambition still simmering there. It was tempting, he had to admit. It was awfully tempting. All the chaos and destruction the man had caused, all the innocent lives his twisted ambition had cut short...

Innocent lives. Like those of the people on Teardrop.

And with that, LaRone suddenly realized how very tired he was of killing.

"Yes, he's a traitor," he told Quiller as he climbed back to his feet.

"But he'll stand trial for it. Let him find his fate there."

Deliberately, he turned his back on the man. "Marcross?" he asked, stepping over to his friend. Marcross was clutching at his arm, an instinctive if fairly useless exercise with the armored sleeve still in place. "I'm all right," he said. "I guess it still had one shot left."

"I guess it did, you crazy idiot," LaRone said. He looked back at the dissipating mist that had probably saved his friend's life, then turned to the balcony.

She was there, of course, gazing down at them like an avenging angel.

"Governor Ch.o.a.rd," she called in a clear, cold voice, "you're under arrest for treason."

From the hallway beyond the light curtain came a clatter of running footsteps, and a moment later a liveried servant charged into the ballroom. "Your Excellency-" He broke off, coming to a sudden halt as he caught sight of the stormtroopers. "What is it?" LaRone asked.

With an effort, the servant dragged his gaze back to his governor.

"There's word from the gate, Your Excellency," he managed, the words coming out as if squeezed from a putty tube. "Lord Vader has entered the grounds with-" His eyes flicked surrept.i.tiously back to LaRone. "With a group of Imperial stormtroopers. Chief Administrator Disra is reported to be with them."

"Excellent," Jade called down from the balcony. Startled, the servant twisted his head to look up at her. "Meet Lord Vader at the nearest door and escort him here."

Her eyes shifted to LaRone . . . and in her face LaRone saw that she knew. That she knew everything- who he was, who the others were, how they'd all gotten here. It was over, and they were as good as dead.

But then he looked back at Ch.o.a.rd, a man whose path was littered with the corpses of hundreds of innocent people and who would have killed millions more if he hadn't been stopped. LaRone, Grave, Quiller, Bright-water, and especially Marcross had helped prevent that. Yes, it was over. But it had been worth it.

Grave had Marcross's sleeve armor off and was working on his injury when Jade joined them. "How is he?" she asked.

"Bad burn, but the armor caught most of it," Grave reported. "He'll be all right."

"Good," Jade said, shifting her cool gaze to Ch.o.a.rd. "I trust you realize you should have died right then," she told him. "If I'd been here instead of these men, you would have died."

"I'm sure that matters to someone," Ch.o.a.rd bit out. Even at the end, LaRone thought, the man still had defiance to b.u.m.

What a waste.

A nervous ripple ran through the crowd of elite citizens now lined up against the walls. Bracing himself, LaRone turned around.

Darth Vader stood just inside the light curtain, his fists on his hips as he surveyed the situation, his black mask and armor a stark contrast with the gleaming white of the stormtroopers filing quickly and efficiently into the ballroom behind him.

"Lord Vader," Jade said, nodding to him.

"Emperor's Hand," Vader replied, dipping his helmet briefly. He strode forward, his cloak billowing behind him. "I see you've been busy."

"As have you," Jade said. "I understand you have Chief Administrator Disra in custody?"

"Protective custody," Vader corrected. "Two hours ago he came to me with a full accounting of Governor Ch.o.a.rd's treason."

"Did he, now," Jade said drily. "Interesting how fast the rock mites leave the ore carrier on the way to the crash. I had one try the same thing on me."

"The administrator's case is different," Vader said, his voice cooling warningly.

"I'm sure it is," Jade said, inclining her head again. "And I'm sure his evidence will prove useful at Ch.o.a.rd's trial. My congratulations. Would you be able to arrange prisoner transport back to Imperial Center? My ship isn't particularly s.p.a.ce worthy at the moment."

"So I've heard," the Dark Lord said. LaRone tried to imagine him smiling behind that faceplate, but it was a futile effort. "What about these?"

Vader added, nodding toward LaRone. "What about them?" Jade asked. "I'm told they refused to identify their unit earlier this evening," Vader said, his voice darkening. "I also have word now from the Reprisal that they have five storm-troopers missing."

LaRone felt his throat tighten. So they wouldn't be going to Stormtrooper Command, or even be turned over to the ISB. Vader himself would be dealing with them.

At least it would be quick. Probably.

But to his amazement, Jade shrugged. "Interesting, but irrelevant," she said. "These stormtrooper are mine."

"Yours?"

'You have the entire Five-oh-first," Jade reminded him. "You certainly won't begrudge me my Hand of Judgment."

For a long moment Vader stared down at her. Jade stared back, her face impa.s.sive but firm.

Then, to LaRone's relief, the Dark Lord stirred. "As you wish," he said, lifting a hand slightly. "Commander?"

A stormtrooper group commander stepped forward.

"Yes, Lord Vader?"

"Take Governor Ch.o.a.rd to the Executor," Vader ordered. "Then have your men search this palace." He gestured toward the Makrin City citizens lined up against the walls. "Beginning with them."

"Yes, sir." The commander gestured, and two of his men came forward, stepping to Ch.o.a.rd's sides and nudging him into sullen movement toward the exit. Another dozen fell into step around them, while the rest fanned out toward the Makrin City elite lined up against the walls.

Vader turned back, and for a long moment the blank black faceplate stared down at LaRone. Then, half turning, he inclined his head to Jade.

"Emperor's Hand," he said. With a swirl of his cloak, he turned and strode away.

LaRone looked at Jade, to find her looking back at him. "Orders, ma'am?"

he said, keeping his voice professional.

"We're done here," she said in the same tone. "We'll pick up Bright.w.a.ter on the way out and head back to Greencliff and your ship." Her eyes hardened. "And on the way, you're going to tell me a story. A real one this time."

Chapter Twenty-Four.