The Black Fleet Crisis_ Before The Storm Part 29

"I do, " Peramis was saying.

They will kill you slowly when they learn what you have done, thought Nil Spaar, and you will well deserve it.

"Then proceed with your presentation, " said Behn-kihl-nahm.

A signal light appeared before Nil Spaar, and he muted the grid displays.

"Yes, Senator, " he said. "I am here. "

His long fingers steepled with gentle precision, Hiram Drayson leaned back in his chair and watched as the face on the Senate monitor changed from that of Tig Peramis to that of Nil Spaar.

Drayson had hoped for-though not expected-a glimpse inside theAramadia , but the Yevetha had avoided that bit of carelessness.

Wherever Nil Spaar was transmitting from, the s.p.a.ce behind him appeared as empty and unenlightening as a blank bulkhead.

Given the universal propensity of starship designers to fill every available s.p.a.ce, Drayson suspected the use of a screen, either physical or electronic.

"Before I begin, I want to share my deep regret over the unfortunate casualties resulting from our ascent from Eastport, " the viceroy said.

"It was with great sorrow that I learned that our warnings had not been honored and the thrust radius of theAramadia had not been cleared. We had no thought or intention of injuring anyone. We left Eastport to avoid a confrontation, not to cause one. "

"Oh, very good, " Drayson said to himself, nodding. "Well done. "

"I regret the casualties, " Nil Spaar went on, "but I cannot take responsibility for them. For more than three days we requested clearance to leave Coruscant. Three members of your Senate witnessed two such attempts and can testify that we received only silence in reply.

"We warned the tower at Eastport and the president that we would raise ship without clearance if they left us no other choice. Their only response was to surround our ship with more soldiers and replace the ground crews with agents of the Intelligence Service. "

"Ah! " Drayson thought. Very interesting. Now, is it that you think they'll believe any accusation against the Service, or do you have an honest card to play to help sell the lies?

Allowing his fingers to lace together, Drayson rocked slowly in his chair as he listened for the answer.

"Stars on fire, " Engh breathed. "Is it possible that any of this is true? Could there have been some sort of misunderstanding, and we didn't hear them asking for clearance? "

"Shut up, " Leia said.

Nearly every seat in the Senate chamber was full now. Those not occupied by their owners had been commandeered by curious interlopers. Dozens more staffers lingered in the aisles, along the back wall, and in the open areas near the entrance doors. The six-meter-tall image of Nil Spaar on the display boards commanded their attention more powerfully than anyone at the podium or in the well was accustomed to.

"It became clear that the government of Leia Organa intended to hold us here against our will, " Nil Spaar said. "It became clear to me that we could not wait any longer. We risked losing not only the right of free navigation we had been promised, but the capacity to exercise it. Aramadia is a consular ship. It is ill equipped to repel an armed a.s.sault.

"I am sure that those of you who think you know Princess Leia Organa may doubt that she is capable of ordering soldiers to attack diplomats. After spending so many hours with her, I thought I knew her, and 1 would have trouble believing it, if there were not other evidence of her bad faith. "

The screen flickered, and Nil Spaar's face was replaced by images of burned and twisted metal laid out on bronze decking. "What you see now is the wreck age of a New Republic spy ship which violated the territorial hegemony of the Duskhan League four days ago. It self-destructed when spotted by a local patrol vessel, but we were able to recover enough of it to identify its purpose and origin. "

At that moment, the audience in the Senate, in offices all over Imperial City, and on worlds throughout the New Republic saw Yevethan hands turn over a large fragment to reveal a recognizable portion of the New Republic seal-the blue crest, the ring of stars, and the gold circle.

Drayson leaned forward, staring, then slowly rose to his feet. "b.l.o.o.d.y bilge--that's no prowler. That's a flatfish, or used to be. " He stabbed at his communication computer with a finger. "Verify. "

"Verified-Drayson, Hiram. "

"Call Kiles L'toth. Scramble. "

"Calling Kiles L'toth. Waiting. Verifying. Ready. "

"Kiles-this is Drayson. Is that one of your ships being splashed all over the grids by the Yevethan amba.s.sador? "

The a.s.sociate director's voice was shaky. "We, uh-yes, we think so. It could be theAstrolabe . She's four hours overdue for her logout from Doornik N1142. "

"Four hours. The viceroy said this happened four days ago. How is it you didn't know you'd lost a bird? "

"Admiral, you know there's not usually much traffic while they're in-system. Look, what he's saying-it's not true. Astrolabe wasn't on a spy mission. This was routine survey work-"

"I didn't ask, " said Drayson. "But others will. Better work on your answers. "

Princess Leia's face paled when three red body bags appeared briefly on the monitor.

"I regret to report that there were no survivors, " Nil Spaar was saying. "We were able to recover three bodies, which we are prepared to make arrangements to return. "

The viceroy's face reappeared. "But we cannot and will not negotiate this or any other matter with President Princess Leia Organa Solo. Everything she has said to us has been revealed by her actions as a lie. She claims to negotiate in good faith, while she sends spies to our homelands. She claims to respect our independence, and yet she sends a New Republic fleet toward our territory. She claims to want a treaty between equals, and yet she seeks to weaken our position with espionage and threats.

"I do not know that any act is beyond her, if she thinks it will help secure her power. I am gravely disappointed to learn that she falls so short of the ideals to which the New Republic aspires.

"At this very moment, I, my staff, and my crew are imprisoned within the planetary shield of Coruscant. We are being hounded by a battle cruiser of the Coruscant Home Fleet. We want nothing but to return to our homeworld-but Princess Leia stands in our way, denying us the freedoms to which she so glibly gives lip service.

"I ask the chairmen of the Senate a nd each member world represented there to use whatever influence you can to persuade the princess to abandon her needlessly reckless and aggressive course. Open the shield. Allow us to go home. "

The Senate erupted in angry voices and harsh words as Nil Spaar's face vanished from the displays.

"Turn it off, " Leia said, and slumped into a chair.

"Turn it off! " she repeated sharply when Engh and Ackbar were slow to move.

Engh finally complied, and the monitor dimmed to the color and brightness of the wall on which it hung. For a moment there was silence in the room.

Ackbar turned away to the viewpane, embarra.s.sed for his friend. "This is a disaster, " he said simply.

"He's misinterpreted everything, " Leia said disbelievingly. "How could this have happened? We played right into their strongest fears. How could it have gone so wrong? "

"Leia-we must do somethings" Engh pleaded with his eyes.

She nodded, and it seemed a great effort. "Contact General Baintorf. Have him open the shield. Tell theBrilliant to break off. Let them go. Ask Benny if he'll appoint a representative of the Senate to arrange retrieval of the bodies. "

"Yes, Princess. Right away. " Engh excused himself as though glad to escape.

"Flawlessly played, " said Hiram Drayson. He stood with crossed arms before the monitor, watching as Senator Peramis and Senator Hodidiji submitted Articles of Withdrawal for their respective worlds. Three other small worlds, all represented in the Senate by their hereditary rulers, followed suit before Behn-kihl-nahm succeeded in suspending the session.

As the grids broke away from live coverage to a.n.a.lysis, Drayson called up a recording of Nil Spaar's address. "Utterly flawless, " he said after watching the replay, affirming his original judgment. There was more than a touch of admiration in his voice.

"But there's one missing piece, Viceroy, " he added, stroking his face with one large hand, a thoughtful expression in his intent black eyes.

"What did it gain you? What's the payoff for weakening Leia's hand and stirring up the Senate? There's something not seen here-" Turning back to his desk, Drayson spun his computer toward him. "Verify. "

"Verified-Drayson, Hiram. "

"Call Etahn A'baht. Scramble and blind-route. "

"Calling Etahn A'baht. Working. Waiting, Verifying-"

"Admiral Ackbar. "

The big Calamari turned away from the viewpane to find the princess standing near the door. "Yes, Leia. "

"Why was one of our ships anywhere near Koornacht? Did you know anything about this? "

"I do not have any answers, " Ackbar said uncomfortably.

"Try to find some for me, " she said, and turned away.

"Where are you going? "

Leia looked back over her shoulder. "Home, to think about resigning. "

"Leia-"

"Don't try to argue with me, " she said. "Not now. Maybe tomorrow. "

The Battle Operations Center of the fleet carrierIntrepid was deserted except for two generals carrying unhappy burdens. General Etahn A'baht carried the burden of knowing what he had done, while General Han Solo carried the burden of knowing what must come.

For more than two hours A'baht had been signaling Coruscant, attempting to speak directly with Princess Leia. All his attempts, using every direct and indirect route available to him, had failed.

He had reached Fleet Operations, the administrative message center, an apologetic first administrator, an uncharacteristically taciturn Admiral Ackbar, the president's communications and protocol droid, and message boxes for half a dozen offices and their highly placed occupants. But Leia herself seemed to have disappeared from the command and communications structure of Imperial City, and no one A'baht spoke to seemed overly eager to look for her.

Finally Ackbar had agreed to carry a message for A'baht to the resident's residence, asking Leia to contact him on board theIntrepid . That was when the waiting began-an excruciatingly tedious exercise in clock-watching and uncomfortable silence. The sprawling BOC, which easily absorbed dozens of officers and ratings when staffed, seemed as claustrophobic as a cell inIntrepid's brig.

When the hypercomm finally lit up and squawked a Red Line alert, both men started. When the holodisplay brightened to show Leia from the shoulders up, Han was startled and dismayed by how pallid her face was, how dark and lifeless her eyes.

"General A'baht, " she said with a nod. Her voice was husky, and she cleared her throat after she spoke.

"Princess Leia, " said A'baht. "Thank you for responding to my request. "

"I understand from Admiral Ackbar that you have some information for me. "

"Yes, Princess. " He straightened his back and sat tall in his chair.

"I am the person responsible for the astrographic probes being sent into Farlax. Before the Fifth sailed, I requested an updated survey of that sector, including Koornacht Cl.u.s.ter. I did this with the full knowledge that this was in violation of your orders. I offer no excuse, and accept full responsibility for my actions. "

There was hardly a flicker of reaction on Leia's face. "Thank you, General. You are relieved of command, effective immediately. The next person to sit here will decide the rest. " Her eyes sought Han.

"General Solo. "

"Yes, Leia, " Han said, stepping forward.

"I'm placing you in command in General A'baht's stead. Your orders are to bring the Fifth Fleet back to Coruscant as soon as possible. "

"Uh-Leia-"

Her pain shone momentarily through the mask of numbness. "Just come home, Han-please. " The holodisplay went dark.

A'baht turned away from the hypercomm. "I'm sorry, " he said, standing. "You will need to recall the patrols before turning the formation. "

"What? Sure. Now forget excuses, and tell me why you did it. " When A'baht hesitated, Han added, "That's an order. "

"Very well, " said A'baht. "I believed I had been denied the information I needed to do my job properly-both parts of my job, protecting my command and protecting the New Republic's interests. Princess Leia made a military decision for political reasons, and it left me in an untenable position. I attempted to make an end run around her objections by going outside the Fleet, to the Astrographic Survey Inst.i.tute. You already know the results. "

"I think I do. Do you? "

"What do you mean? "

"That flatfish was no spy ship. "

"No. "

"And it didn't blow itself up, did it? "

"No. "

"Then maybe it found what you wanted it to find-what you were worried is out here. "

"Perhaps so, " said A'baht. "But it doesn't matter. The probe made no report, and there'll be no more probes sent into that area. Whatever secrets the Yevetha have, they'll keep. " He saluted diffidently.

"Request permission to return to my quarters, sir. "

Han frowned. "Granted, " he said, and A'baht headed for the hatchway.

"General-" A'baht paused and turned back.

"How many prowlers are a.s.signed to the Fifth Fleet? "

"One squadron-eight. There are also two squadrons of reconnaissance drones. "

Han gestured broadly at the bank of empty stations.

"You want to tell me which one of these b.u.t.tons calls in your tactical staff? "

"What are you saying? " A'baht's face wore an uncertain expression.

"Well-we know someone or something out here's unfriendly to the New Republic, " Han said grimly. "Right? "

"I'd say so. "