Part 26 (1/2)

”It's Jedi double talk, ” said Larin. ”She doesn't want the Sebaddonites to think they're about to be invaded. ”

”Even though she's riding at the head of a fleet of Republic wars.h.i.+ps?”

”Even so. ”

s.h.i.+gar raised a hand for silence. No one had replied, so Master Satele was trying again.

”We have reason to believe that a diplomatic mission sent from Sebaddon was intercepted before it could reach its destination. We are not responsible for its destruction but I wish to convey to you our sincerest regrets and to share with you the data we have collected regarding this unfortunate incident. ”

”More activity, ” said Jet. ”Those hot spots are getting really hot. ”

”Are you sure they're not volcanoes?” asked Larin.

He didn't reply, and neither did the people of Sebaddon to Satele Shan's last message.

”They could be volcanoes, ” said Ula, unwilling to dismiss any suggestion Larin made, even one intended as a joke. ”It would make sense to tap into geothermal power on a world like this. If they've found a way to store and release that power, that could be what we're seeing here. ”

”Or they could be launch sites, ” said Jet.

”If they're sending up a welcoming party, why wouldn't they say so?”

”It might not be the sort of welcoming party you're thinking of. ”

”I have come to speak with Lema Xandret, ” the Grand Master tried a third time. ”I have reason to believe that she might be your leader. ”

At last something broke the silence from the planet. A woman's voice came over the airwaves, crackling faintly with interference.

”We have no leader. ”

”Very well, ” said Master Satele, ”but am I speaking to Lema now?”

”We ask only to be left alone. ”

”You have nothing to fear from us. I swear it. We have come to talk, and to offer you protection if you need it. You are under no obligation to offer anything in return. ”

”We do not recognize your authority. ”

Ula's skin crawled. ”That's what the hexes said. She sounds just like them. ”

s.h.i.+gar was nodding. ”This must be Xandret. The hexes share her voice and her philosophies because she was the one who made them. ”

”We have no wish to impose any kind of authority upon you, ” Master Satele was saying.

”We ask only to be left alone, ” Xandret repeated.

”Those hot spots are about ready to erupt, ” said Jet in ominous tones.

”Give me the comm, ” s.h.i.+gar said. ”Master, I don't think talking is going to work. She's as stubborn as her droids. I suggest finding another approach. ”

The Grand Master was already talking: ”Perhaps I could speak with you face-to-face. That might help us reach an understanding. Just me and my Padawan, in a place of your choosing. The last thing I want is for you or your leaders to feel threatened or intimidated...”

”We have no leader!” Xandret shouted. ”We do not recognize your authority!”

”Here it comes, ” said Jet, calling up in the viewscreen several bright flashes from the surface of the world. ”They look like missiles to anyone else?”

Ula peered closely at the image. His knowledge of military hardware was patchy, but the rapidly rising dots did have a lethal air. For a start, they moved quickly, accelerating many times faster than most crewed s.h.i.+ps would risk in atmosphere. There were eight of them, long and sleek. They spiraled like fireworks as they rose, presenting a much more difficult target to the s.h.i.+ps above.

The Auriga Fire lurched underneath him, responding to telemetry from the Corellia. As one, all fifteen s.h.i.+ps changed course in response to the rising threat.

”There's your answer, ” said Larin. ”Someone is definitely taking this seriously. ”

”Fine, ” said Jet, ”but I'm not slaving my s.h.i.+p to anyone while it's under fire. ”

”Wait, ” said s.h.i.+gar, but it was too late. Jet had already broken the short-lived connection between his s.h.i.+p and those of the Republic. With a flash of its repulsors, the Auriga Fire peeled away from Second Company and accelerated to a higher orbit.

Behind them, the s.h.i.+ps of the Republic adopted battle formation, with the Corellia in the center and support vessels in a crisp tetrahedron around it. While fighters launched from hangar decks, its cannons trained on the approaching targets. The Grand Master said nothing, and the usual interfleet chatter ceased.

”Fall in line, Auriga Fire, ” came a terse request from the Corellia. ”Fall in line!”

Jet ignored it, but kept the tactical feed open.

”This doesn't make any sense, ” said Ula, thinking aloud. ”If Xandret wants to stay isolated so badly, why would she want to talk to the Mandalorians? I'd have thought that's exactly the wrong thing to do. ”

”Maybe the Cinzia didn't represent everyone here, ” Larin said. ”Maybe the people who blew themselves up were a dissident group. ”

”And why attack rather than talk?” he asked, moving on to his next point of puzzlement. ”Firing without provocation is madness. ”

”Without a doubt, ” said s.h.i.+gar. ”They've practically signed their own death warrant. ”

The missiles roared out of the upper atmosphere and hit the first wave of defensive fire. A dense net of turbolaser pulses and ion torpedoes converged on the eight missiles. The nose of each missile activated a defensive s.h.i.+eld not dissimilar to the ones seen on a much smaller scale on Hutta. Mirror-bright, they reflected laser pulses perfectly, and even deflected a large number of torpedoes. The s.p.a.ce between the Corellia and the planet below was suddenly full of explosions.

Out of that stew of hot gases only six missiles emerged. The debris of the two that had been hit tumbled on, following their final momentum. Tiny white dots gleamed in the light of the black hole's jets.

The six missiles. .h.i.t another wave of defensive fire. The s.h.i.+elds flashed again, blinking on and off in rapid succession-to conserve power, Ula a.s.sumed. The missiles weren't large. They couldn't defend themselves forever against this kind of a.s.sault.

But they didn't have to. Four of the original eight were now close enough to the capital s.h.i.+ps to be an imminent threat. Fighters engaged, strafing the missiles from all directions at once. The s.h.i.+elds couldn't cover every possible approach. Three missiles faltered, their drive systems crippled and their sides spewing clouds of debris. The last thundered on, aimed squarely at the Corellia.

The look on s.h.i.+gar's face was painful to see. His Master was aboard that s.h.i.+p, and a missile of that size was bound to do considerable damage, perhaps even destroy the Corellia outright. Ula wondered if she was hurrying for an escape pod at that very moment, hoping to outrun her fate.

The missile survived the final wave of defensive fire and struck the Corellia just forward of its stardrive.

Ula winced automatically, expecting a giant explosion.

None came. The missile hit the golden hull with enough force to tear a hole right through it, but instead simply vanished inside. A blast of air and other gases roared out of the hole. No fire. The missile didn't blow up.

Fleet comms rose up again, betraying a slightly frantic note. Colonel Gurin was on the air, rea.s.suring everyone that the cruiser was intact. There were no more launches visible from the ground. The attack from Sebaddon appeared to have completely fizzled.