The Black Fleet Crisis_ Before The Storm Part 8

"I can't tell you unless you say yes, " Lando said, tapping the insignia on his uniform. "I've got a temporary commission in my pocket, and the security clearance to go with it. All I can promise you is problems a lot more interesting than the ones you're working on now. And I really could use your help. It'll be like old times. "

Lobot stood, looking slowly about the room. "I'll trade you my help for your things, "

"he said finally. "I want them to stay, for old times. "

"Why, you old horse trader, you. Who's been teaching you the art of the finagle? "

"You did, " Lobot said. He closed his eyes and lowered his chin to his chest. The lights on his interface bar all flashed green, then all flashed red, then went dark. Raising his head, he opened his eyes and looked at Lando. "It's too quiet. "

"Go ahead and leave a few channels open, then, " Lando said, standing.

"Bring with you whatever you need to be comfortable. "

A few scattered lights on Lobot's interface sprang back into activity.

"Better, " he said. "Let's go. What is my rank? What problems need solutions? "

"I'll tell you all about it on the way. "

The Teljkon task force, seven vessels in all, had gathered in orbit around the sixth planet of the Coruscant system, where it would not so readily attract attention. Lady Luck was the last to join them and the smallest ship among them, save for a pilotless Intelligence ferret.

Lando's yacht was dwarfed by Pakkpekatt's command ship, the cruiserGlorious .

"I don't like the looks of that heavy artillery, " Lando said, sizing up the situation fromLady Luck's c.o.c.kpit. "I thought we were being sent to outsmart our quarry, not outgun it. "

"The fact that the vagabond disabled a frigate with apparent ease may have dictated the choice of a cruiser, " Lobot said.

"I'm sure it did, " Lando agreed. "I just don't like the way things are shaping up. " He reached for the comm unit. "This is General Lando Calrissian aboard theLady Luck , hailing theGlorious . Request permission to come aboard. "

"General Calrissian, sir, " said a young-sounding voice. "This is Lieutenant Harona, officer of the day. We've been expecting you, sir. Would you like us to send out the captain's boat? "

"I'm afraid there's been some misunderstanding, Lieutenant. I'm not looking for a ride in. I'm looking for parking s.p.a.ce on your flight deck. "

There was a static-filled pause, which ended when Harona cleared his throat. "General Calrissian, I'm afraid you're right, there has been some confusion. Our flight decks are filled with mission gear and our own baby birds. There's no room forLady Luck inboard. "

"Then make room, Lieutenant. Unless you were planning for our best speed to be your convoy speed. "

Lando thumbed the mute switch and added to Lobot, "Now we'll find out if they know how fast my little ship really is. "

The second pause was longer. "Sir, Colonel Pakkpekatt suggests that you come aboardGlorious and let a relief crew ferry your yacht back to Coruscant. "

"Aha, " said Lando. "That tells me that they've got it in their minds that I'm an observer. " He released the mute switch. "Lieutenant Harona, we have our own mission gear aboard. Do I understand you to say Colonel Pakkpekatt is willing to hold here for another day or two while you set up secure holdings for file and equipment transfer? If so, put your quartermaster on, and we'll start telling him what we'll need-"

"Uh, no, sir, that would not be the colonel's first choice. "

Lando winked at Lobot. Now I've got them, he thought. "Lieutenant, maybe I should just talk to Colonel Pakkpekatt directly. "

They could almost hear the OD squirming. "Sir, the colonel is very busy at the moment with predeparture matters-"

"I'm sure he is. Tell you what, Lieutenant. I can solve your little problem for you without disturbing the colonel. I see that your Number Five external dock is open. You pull that cap and we'll hook on there. "

"General Calrissian, I'm very sorry, but I can't authorize that-"

"Then why are you wasting my time, Lieutenant? " Lando said sharply. "Go get your senior officer and put him on the line. I want to talk to someone who can make a decision. And when we're finished with our business-which should take about two minutes-I'm going to ask him to conduct a review of his bridge procedures and staff. I want him to find out why a flag officer and the Fleet Operations delegation to this mission were kept waiting while the officer of the day thumbed through the manual for a regulation to follow. "

The subsequent silence was the longest yet. "Lady Luck, Number Five External Hard Dock will be ready momentarily. Prepare for autodocking. "

"Thank you, Lieutenant, " said Lando. "Lady Luckout. "

"Well done, sir, " Threepio gushed. "That seems like an excellent compromise. "

"Compromise, nothing. I got what I really wanted, " Lando said, starting the autodocking sequence and climbing out of the pilot's seat. "I wasn't about to give up my ship, and I didn't want it locked up inside where I'd need their permission to use it. "

"Then you achieved all your objectives, " Lobot said.

"Oh, no. We're just beginning. Now we have to reeducate them about our role on this mission, " Lando said. "Get ready to disembark. I'm going to need all of you on this. "

"Colonel Pakkpekatt, sir, General Calrissian to see you. " The ensign's voice was a bit shrill with nervousness.

Lando guessed that he had never been on the combat bridge before, or had reason to speak to the mission commander-if he had seen him at all.

The ensign had been the first member of the crew Lando saw after ducking through the inner airlock of Number 5 Dock, and he had commandeered the young technician to escort them to Colonel Pakkpekatt.

Lando was familiar with the layout of the Belarus-cla.s.s star cruiser, and could have hazarded a guess as to where Pakkpekatt could be found. But being escorted, with his entourage following at his heels, allowed him to make an entrance.

Several heads swiveled at the ensign's announcement, but most turned immediately back to their duties after taking in the new arrivals with a glance.

The exception was a two-meter-tall Hortek, whose bony armor plates were a ruddy brown in the bridge's combat lighting. His long neck twisted toward the group standing by the bridge's aft blast door, and the intense gaze from his unblinking eyes was nearly hypnotizing.

Curse you, Drayson-you could have told me he was a Hortek, Lando thought reflexively. But after that he guarded his thoughts as best he could. Besides being one of the few predator species in the New Republic, the Hortek had the reputation of being telepathic not only with their own kind, but, to an unknown degree, with a number of other species as well. It was an intimidating combination.

"General, " Pakkpekatt said, curtly acknowledging Lando. His gaze flicked to Lobot and the droids. "Who are these-people? "

C-3PO stepped forward smartly. "Sir, I am See-Threepio, human-cyborg relations. I am fluent in over six million-"

"Shut up, " Pakkpekatt said sharply.

"Yes, sir, " Threepio said, retreating behind Lobot.

Lando stepped forward. "Colonel Pakkpekatt, this is my staff. I'd be happy to make introductions, but I have some late updates for you which perhaps ought to have our attention first. Is your ready room available? "

Pakkpekatt held his head high, studying Lando.

Reaching into my mind? You and I need to talk, and no one else here needs to hear what we say.

Pakkpekatt lifted a hand in the direction of the ready room door.

"Captain, continue with preparations for departure, " he said.

The moment the door wrapped privacy around them, Pakkpekatt drew threateningly close to Lando.

"So, " he said, "you're the man who browbeat my officer of the day. Don't expect to do the same to me. "

Lando smiled and opened up the distance between them again by slipping into a chair. "I wouldn't even try, Colonel, " he said, adopting a relaxed posture. "Nor would I expect to need to. We're here with the same goal, working for the same people-Princess Leia, the Senate, the Republic. "

Pakkpekatt made a sharp barking sound, the Hortek equivalent of a grunt. "I was told to wait for an observer from Fleet Command. Nothing was said about staff. "

"Why should anything need to be said? Do you go anywhere without your aides? " asked Lando, gesturing with both hands. "My staff has technical expertise which very well may be the difference between success and failure for this mission. "

"We have five protocol droids on board, all E series or newer, " Pakkpekatt said. "Yours are superfluous. "

"On the contrary, I consider my staff indispensable, " Lando said. "And I expect them to be extended every consideration due me as the Fleet Office's field operative for this mission. "

Pakkpekatt moved closer, looming over Lando. "Operative-now, that's a curious word, General. Were you led to believe that you'd have an active part in the conduct of the mission? "

"Were you led to believe otherwise? "

"I have been a.s.signed to recover the Teljkon vagabond, " Pakkpekatt said. "I have no instructions about sharing my command or that responsibility with you. "

"I don't want to share your command, Colonel. All I want is mutual cooperation. After all, the Fleet Office's interests in this matter are at least equal to the Intelligence Service's interests, " Lando said. "We were the ones who nearly lost a frigate to the vagabond. "

"This is an extremely sensitive matter. We have no idea what we may find out there. "

"Colonel, if we find anything of value out there, it's not going to belong to either one of us, " Lando said, flashing his best conciliatory smile. "Unless you simply don't trust the Fleet Office, there's no reason we can't work together toward a common goal. "

Pakkpekatt loosed an eerie chittering sound, which caused a chill to run down Lando's back. "What are you asking? "

"No more than you would. Run of the ship. Full and timely access to tactical data. Consultation on strategy. And if and when we board her, include us in. "

"Only that? "

"That's it. All other command prerogatives remain yours. "

"I see, " Pakkpekatt said. "All we need do to keep you happy is take you along on the most sensitive part of the mission, and one for which you're completely unprepared. "

"Now, Colonel--"

"Do you take me for wounded prey? " the Hortek demanded, showing his teeth. "We are prepared to a.s.semble an a.s.sault team tailored to whatever challenges the vagabond presents. I am not prepared to a.s.semble one based on who thinks it would be fun to go along. "

"Do you have a lockpick? "

"What? "

"You said you're ready for anything, " Lando said. "But it's been my experience that when someone in uniform says that, he really means 'We have little guns, we have big guns, we have bombs of all sizes. ' There are other ways to get past a locked door. Are you as ready to pick a lock as you are to blow one up? As ready to wheedle as you are to demand? As ready to coax as to capture? If not, you'd better think again about how ready you really are. "

"My tactical team has over fifty years' intelligence experience-"

"Listen, Colonel, " Lando said, coming to his feet and thrusting his face close to the Hortek. "I'm sure you have good, solid veteran players on your team. But I've got some ringers on mine. I've got a human with a machine interface, a droid with a universal linguistic interface, and a droid with a universal machine interface-"

"There is nothing special about your staff's abilities. "

"Maybe not in the specs, " said Lando. "But they know how to play together, and they know how to win. We beat Darth Vader, and we beat the Emperor, on their turf and on their terms-"

"Ancient history. And you were lucky. "

Lando smiled. "Any gambler knows you don't bet against a lucky man. If you keep my players out of the game, and you lose, you're going to have a hard time explaining that to the people who sent us out here. "

"A commander's burden. "

"I wouldn't want yours right now, " Lando said. "Look, Colonel-no matter who or what's inside the vagabond, we have to be able to outthink them. Because if we don't, we lose both ways-if we have to destroy that ship, or it has to destroy us. "

"I am very aware of that. "

Lando pointed toward the door. "Well, that's R2-D2 and C-3PO out there, Luke Skywalker's personal droids. And Lobot and I made a living making fools of Security and Intelligence in one system after another. We've beaten tricks your people haven't even thought of yet. How sure are you that you don't want us on your team? "

Pakkpekatt's nostrils flared. Then he bowed his neck, the Hortek counterpart to a nod of agreement.

"Very well. We will work together. "

"Good. That's all I want, " Lando said.

"I do not believe that. I know who you are, " Pakkpekatt said with a menacing stiffness. "Do not think I do not. I will be watching you. "

Lando kept his mind clear. "We're going to get along just fine, Colonel. You'll see. "

Chapter 5.

On the morning of her first meeting with Nil Spaar, Leia climbed out of bed with an aching shoulder, tired eyes, and a blanket of fatigue in her limbs that made her feel as though she was on the verge of being ill.

Anakin had awakened from a terrifying nightmare in the small hours, and Leia had allowed him to climb into bed between her and Han in the hope that it would help him sleep. But the unfamiliar presence of a third little body had forced her into unnatural sleeping postures. Worse, Anakin had become a restive sleeper, and she had found herself aware of his every move, coming fully awake time and again as he turned and squirmed beside her.

Han, Leia had been annoyed to discover, slept through it all, including his own snoring.

Her grogginess persisted through breakfast. As she dressed for her meeting with the viceroy of the Duskhan League, she thought only about falling back into the now empty bed for a nap. It was the kind of morning that sorely tempted her to break her own rule about stimulants and take a cup of naris-bud tea or chew a stick of brightgum.

The temptation got stronger once she reached the final briefing. The conference room seemed to be full of bodies, and everyone seemed to be talking to her at once.

"Try to get emergency transit and landing rights on a provisional basis, as a stepping-stone to full navigation rights. We've got members in Joruna and Idek, and it's a long way around for the freighters. "

"Almost everything we know about the Koor-nacht Cl.u.s.ter is thirty years old. It was in Imperial hands from the time of the Clone Wars until shortly after the Battle of Endor. The Empire didn't allow anyone in, and-until now-the Yevetha haven't seemed interested in coming out. "