Star Wars - X-Wing 8 - Isard's Revenge Read online

  29

  General Airen Cracken pointed the remote at the holo-projector set up in the center of the New Republic Ruling Council's private briefing room. The Councilors' tables made a three-sided square and the projector had been set up at the open end of the formation. It had been oriented toward Chief Councilor Mon Mothma, so when Wedge Antilles's image appeared, it looked straight at her.

  "Admiral Ackbar, General Cracken, you have my sincere welcome. I apologize for any shock you feel at seeing me again. I am alive and on the day I recorded this message, Sienar Fleet Systems stock hit sixty-seven and seven-eighths on the Coruscant market, with twenty-three billion shares traded.

  "Rogue Squadron survived the battle at Distna through the intervention of a group that has as much reason to hate Krennel as we do. They have offered their aid in destroying him and his Hegemony. Toward this end they have been training Rogue Squadron for a mission that will leave Ciutric open for conquest and allow us to rescue the Lusankya prisoners, including General Jan Dodonna. When Rogue Squadron is in place, you will be sent another message. You will have ten hours from that point to deliver a fleet to Ciutric. Details on Krennel's defenses are appended to this message.

  "I regret there is no way for you to reply to this message. You'll have four weeks to gather your fleet at the staging area and, within a week after that, the order to go will be given. If you do not come, I have no doubt that Rogue Squadron will truly die. I mention that not as motivation, but as fact. Since we are already believed dead, you may not want to confuse issues by announcing our survival just to let people know we've died again."

  Wedge raised his right hand and touched it to his brow in a salute. "I look forward to speaking with both of you on Ciutric. Antilles out."

  The image faded to the Rogue Squadron crest, and then Cracken used the remote to shut off the projector. He raised a hand as the Council members began to speak among themselves and quieted them. "That message came in three days ago, and was recorded four days before that. The delay in bringing it to your attention is my responsibility because I wanted my best people to look it over and they were unavailable until yesterday. They concur that, despite the beard, the speaker is Wedge Antilles."

  Mon Mothma pressed her hands together and rested her forearms on the table before her. "Did the datafiles shed any more light on who else might have survived Distna?"

  "It is clear from the files that Wedge thinks Janson is missing. Their file also lists Asyr Sei'lar, Lyyr Zatoq, and Khe-Jeen Slee as missing in action--none of them were listed as being dead. Everyone else is alive, but only one person's immediate family has been notified of the squadron's survival. I would not have let anyone know, save for the fact that Corran Horn's wife was one of the people I used to verify the message was from Wedge Antilles."

  Leia Organa Solo nodded. "Understandable, General. It looked to be Wedge to me, too. How do we know he was not under duress delivering this message?"

  "Indeed, it could be bait for a trap." Sian Tew, the Sullustan Councilor, looked around at the others. "Krennel could have taken him in and be using him to trap our fleet."

  Ackbar waved a webbed hand to dismiss that notion. "First, we have a code system in place to provide warnings if one of our people is being forced under duress to make a message, and General Antilles used none of the code words that would have alerted us to trouble. More importantly, the plan appended to the message calls for a fleet of sufficient force to smash Krennel's fleet. We have not employed such a large force against Krennel so far because we could not be certain we would catch him in one place. If we deployed that force against him and he struck outside the Hegemony, he would seriously damage the people's belief in our ability to free worlds of tyranny."

  "As he continues to do by ambushing supply fleets headed for Liinade Three?" Borsk Fey'lya stroked the creamy fur on his throat. "That concerns me less, however, than the fact that Antilles is coyly silent about the identity of the individuals who rescued Rogue Squadron at Distna. I would bet they are old-line Imperial in nature."

  Cracken frowned at the Bothan Councilor. "Why would you suppose that, Councilor?"

  "Do you not find it curious that out of the thirteen X-wing pilots flying that day, the three confirmed kills we have were nonhuman? Over three-quarters of those rescued were human. It strikes me that the Imperial bias is at play here."

  Ackbar shook his head. "Ridiculous."

  Cracken said nothing, and hoped he kept his surprise at Fey'lya's comments hidden. When Iella had arrived at Coruscant, she asked Cracken to come to the Errant Venture and there revealed to him Whistler's evidence of Ysanne Isard's survival and leadership of the group that was helping Rogue Squadron. The way the ambush at Distna had been set up certainly proved that the real Isard had intelligence assets in the New Republic still, and the fact that she'd not been mentioned by Wedge meant she wanted her role in things hidden. Since her help eliminating Krennel could be the basis for an amnesty, keeping her identity hidden seemed like a good ploy; but Cracken had sparred with her for too many years to let himself underestimate her or her penchant for duplicity.

  Leia glanced over at the Bothan. "I would remind my learned colleague that the Hegemony worlds-despite Krennel's attempts to make them into a haven for humans-are only fifty-six percent human in population, and several worlds have a strong nonhuman majority."

  "Who are ruled by a human minority, yes, Leia, I recall those worlds well." Fey'lya looked around the room at the other members of the Council. "I believe we have an unsavory situation here. I suspect very strongly that Krennel's subordinates are using Rogue Squadron to stage an uprising that will unseat Krennel, and they expect us to put them in his place. While they will say they are joining the New Republic, the reality of human oppression in the Hegemony will not be changed. I think we should reject this plan because of the obligations it will place on us."

  Ackbar stood to disagree. "With all due respect, Councilor, I believe you are dreading a poor harvest and the first algae cloud has yet to appear. The plan appended to the message is decidedly sound and I see much of General An-tilles's direction in it. This will be a stunning opportunity to smash Krennel. Even if he were to escape, we would still possess Ciutric, which is the political and economic hub of the Hegemony. We have always known a strike at Ciutric would shatter the Hegemony, and here is a plan that will allow us to do it."

  "That is all well and good, Admiral Ackbar, but it still says nothing about the shadowy partners in this enterprise." Fey'lya stood and opened his arms. "What do we do if we discover that Grand Moff Tarkin didn't die on the Death Star, but has been lurking, waiting for this opportunity to ask for sanctuary? What do we do when he asks to be repaid for his role in this conquest of Ciutric? What if General Derricote, the architect of the Krytos virus, is not dead, but instead is behind this move? Do we welcome him? Perhaps this is Thrawn's ploy, or even one masterminded by Ysanne Isard. Don't look so surprised, Admiral, I have my sources that have told me what your Lusankya prisoners from Commenor have told you. No matter how beneficial their contribution to the New Republic is in this operation, could we reward them?"

  Mon Mothma raised a hand. "If you will permit me, I must say that Councilor Fey'lya raises some interesting points. The question of when and how someone who has worked for the Empire may make a transition from enemy to friend is one we have not sufficiently addressed. We have accepted people like General Dodonna and General Madine without question. Even after the Emperor's death, we allowed Imperials who had seen the folly of their allegiance come over to us without penalty. General Garm Bel Iblis presents a different sort of example, one of someone who, while he was one of the Rebellion's founders, left us for a while because of differences with how things were being done. In choosing to rejoin us at an important moment, he contributed greatly to the New Republic's survival. We've accepted him, but there have been those who have grumbled over that fact."

  Borsk Fey'lya smiled, bowed his head toward Mon Mothma, and seated hi
mself.

  She continued. "These questions, however important, really have little bearing on the issue at hand. We started a war with the Hegemony and, so far, have failed to achieve a satisfactory outcome. Wedge Antilles offers us a perfectly good plan that will allow us to end this conflict quickly. The only reason I can see for rejecting it is if it is unmilitarily sound. Admiral Ackbar says it is not, and we have trusted his judgment before in similar matters. I see no reason to doubt him now."

  Ackbar lowered himself to his chair. "I believe I can assemble the taskforce required to take the world within the two weeks. We will be ready to go then."

  Sian Tevv's large ears curled forward. "You should take the full month. If you do, if the reports from the Bilbringi shipyards are correct, the Lusankya will be operational. I would think adding a Super Star Destroyer's firepower to any taskforce would be worth the delay."

  "The Lusankya will take longer to be combat ready. We have not finished training a crew, and several more shakedown runs will be needed before the techs turn it over to a crew that can fight from her." Admiral Ackbar's barabels twitched. "Still, your point about firepower is a good one. To be on the safe side I will bring in more ships than called for, to provide me with a reaction force in case Krennel finds new allies."

  Cracken pointed a finger and swung it around to include everyone in the room. "The most important point concerning this operation is simple: No word of it may leave this room. We suspect Krennel has some intelligence assets within the government here-ex-Imperials, speciesist crazies, whomever. If any word of this leaks, the whole operation will fail horribly."

  Mon Mothma nodded solemnly. "I'm certain all the Council members understand this. No leak of this affair will come from Coruscant."

  Ackbar stood again. "Then, if I may have your leave, we have planning to do."

  Outside the chamber, Ackbar rested a heavy hand on Cracken's shoulder. "Did I cover it well?"

  "Yes, Admiral, better than most of my operatives would have." Cracken smiled. The message from Wedge Antilles had come in two forms. One, which they had played for the Council, specified five weeks before an attack. The other, which they kept secret, chopped two weeks off the staging time. The inevitable leak from Coruscant would have Krennel waiting for an attack that would take place two weeks after they'd already smashed his fleet. Cracken had no real love for deceiving his bosses, but if a deception would protect the warriors who would die because of leaks, he had no problem lying as much as necessary.

  "Better than your operatives? I find that hard to believe." Ackbar led the way between two guards into Cracken's office suite in the Imperial Palace. They passed through his antechamber, into his office, and into the totally secure briefing room beyond it. Cracken closed the door behind them and Ackbar seated himself at the briefing table.

  Cracken smiled and took his place at the head of the table. "Admiral, I believe you know these people. Iella Wes-siri was an investigator at the Celchu trial, Mirax Terrik you've met, and this is her father, Booster."

  The Mon Cal nodded his head. "I know of Booster only by reputation, and quite the reputation it is."

  Booster nodded to Ackbar. "It's so good to be loved."

  Airen Cracken posted his arms on the end of the table to hold himself up. "Okay, this is the situation. The Council has given us the go-ahead to run with Wedge's plan. We've not told them that the real Ysanne Isard is alive. They've discovered Ysanne Isard is supposedly working for Kren-nel, but they don't believe it and we're not about to tell them she's a clone. The only source we have for the real Isard's survival is Whistler, which is good enough for me. News about Isard's survival can't leave this room."

  Mirax leaned forward. "Isn't having the Council think Isard is working for Krennel as dangerous as letting them know the real Isard is alive?"

  "No, because any rumor of Isard working for Krennel that gets back to the genuine Isard will just confirm how good her intelligence sources are. If she knows that we know she's alive, however, she'll vanish and we'll never find her until she wants to be found, and I don't like that idea at all." Cracken sighed. "Look, you're three of the shrewdest people in the galaxy, with access to intelligence resources I don't have. You're already in on the secret here, and expanding the circle of knowledge is not going to be a good thing, so you're it. The game here is this: If Isard is offering us Krennel, it's because she's after something bigger. I want to know what it is and I want to make sure she doesn't get it. That's your job. You have to figure it out without letting anyone know what you're doing, and have to stop her."

  Booster laughed. "Is that all?"

  Cracken snarled. "You have two weeks in which to do it. Maybe less. If she discovers Whistler and Gate are gone, she may bolt."

  Booster smiled. "Records will show the two droids were destroyed on Brentaal."

  "Nice work, Booster, but this is Isard we're talking about. If anyone will see through that deception, she will." Cracken straightened up and folded his arms over his chest. "You've got to see through her deception and, for all our sakes, I hope your first guess is your best guess, because we won't get another shot at her."

  30

  Wedge Antilles looked at the datapad in his left hand and nodded when an ALL CLEAR message flashed across it. He unplugged the small surveillance device detection scanner from it and tossed the wandlike item to Corran. The ex-CorSec officer wound the cord around the wand and slipped it into his pocket. Wedge hoped he'd be able to slip it back into the base's security office before it was noted as missing. And I hope this meeting is over before security comes in to see why the bugs Corran deactivated aren't working.

  He looked around at the other eight pilots gathered with him in the small briefing room. "I don't know how much time we'll have before someone is sent to look in on us, but we're clear for the moment. I know you've been briefed on the plan and we've run some very good sims of it, but I'm sensing some anxiety. Tell me what's going on."

  Down in the front row, Gavin leaned forward in his chair and rested his elbows on his knees. "We're taking all the risk on this run. We go in first; we're there for a week before the attack comes. We have a lot of exposure, and I can't help but feel that Isard might just betray us to Krennel."

  Wedge nodded. "Of course, if she wanted us dead, she could have killed us at Distna, or at any time she's had us here. She could have even brought us to Krennel as prisoners."

  "But by having us inserted into Ciutric, she shows Krennel the weakness in his security setup." Inyri Forge fingered her lower lip for a second. "Revealing that breach to him could reinforce the idea that Krennel needs her."

  Tycho disagreed from his position by the square room's only door. "Allying herself with Krennel would put her in an inferior position. If we pull this off, if she's instrumental in taking Krennel down and freeing the Lusankya prisoners, she'll put the New Republic's government in a difficult position. They will be in her debt, but she's the one who had the Krytos virus created. How she is dealt with could create major human-nonhuman fractures in the New Republic."

  "I agree with Tycho, but I think that political pressure angle is too slow for her." Corran sat back, tugging absently at one end of the long mustache he'd grown as part of his disguise. "I think we can all agree that she's going to back-stab us somehow, right?"

  Wedge saw everyone's head bob in agreement with Corran's question. "Okay, so now we have to figure out how she'll do it."

  Myn Donos raised a hand. "Look, I don't have the same history with her that the rest of you do, but from all I've heard I get the impression she's very pragmatic."

  "Keep going, Myn."

  "Okay, so if she's pragmatic, it strikes me that she's going to use the group that beat her--Rogue Squadron--to hurt Krennel badly. You did it before on Axxila and Ciutric, so you can do it one more time, putting an end to him. This suggests to me that whatever she'll do to us, she'll do after we take Krennel down."

  Wedge felt a chill run down his spine. "Or she'll do it b
efore we take him down, but have it take effect after we've succeeded."

  Gavin frowned. "I'm not sure I follow that."

  "Remember the mess she made with the Krytos virus?" Wedge, feeling weary, rubbed his eyes with his left hand.

  "She gets someone into the facility where the Lusankya prisoners are being held and infects them with a deadly virus that takes a long time to manifest: a month, a year, maybe longer. All of them will be heroes; all of them will be paraded around through the upper crust of the New Republic. All at once this disease wipes out the New Republic's leadership, leaving the nation in turmoil while a public health crisis looms. Isard and an alliance of ex-Imperials step in to restore order, offering a cure for the disease. She blames the initial infection on her clone, comes in as a hero to save the day, and suddenly she's back in power."

  The room fell silent as the pilots pondered Wedge's scenario. The surprised expressions and pale faces reflected the horror Wedge felt in his gut. What amazed him the most was that no one offered a denial of the plot he'd described. We all know, firsthand, that she's capable of such cruelty.

  Corran spoke first. "The nastiest part of your scenario is that it would also kill off the Lusankya prisoners. When she and I spoke, she said she was glad the Lusankya had been destroyed at Thyferra because after I escaped from it, it had been soiled. The prisoners were part of that desecration and I think she would have killed them if she had been in control of them. She doesn't like keeping reminders of her failure around with her."