Outbound Flight (звёздные войны)

by Timothy Zahn

  He could only hope that the Miskara had been telling the truth about the size of the force he was sending.

  Chapter 21

  The fact that Mitth'raw'nuruodo was a near human this far from Republic space had been Lorana's first surprise. More surprising than that were the culture and refinement of his demeanor and speech as he spoke to her and C'baoth from the other side of the conference room table.

  His reason for intercepting Outbound Flight was the biggest surprise of all. And the most chilling.

  C'baoth, predictably, wasn't impressed by any of it. "Ridiculous," he said scornfully when Mitth'raw'nuruodo had finished. "A mysterious species of conquerors moving across the galaxy toward us? Please. That's the sort of story bad parents frighten their children with."

  "You know everything there is to know about the universe, then?" Mitth'raw'nuruodo asked politely. "I was under the impression that this region of space was unknown to you."

  "Yes, it is," C'baoth said. "But rumors and stories aren't limited by geographical and political boundaries. If a species so dangerous truly existed, we would surely have heard something about them by now."

  "What about Vergere?" Lorana murmured from beside him. "Something like this might explain her disappearance."

  "Or it might not," C'baoth countered. "It doesn't take a species of conquerors to silence a single Jedi." His eyes glittered. "To silence agroup of Jedi, of course, is a different matter entirely. And as to this Darth Sidious you cite, I put even less faith in his words than I do in idle rumors. Darth is the title of a Sith Lord, and the Sith have long since vanished from the galaxy. That makes him a liar right from the start."

  "Perhaps," Mitth'raw'nuruodo said. "But I didn't come here for an open debate. The fact remains that I cannot and will not permit you to continue on through this region of space. You must turn back to the Republic and pledge to never return."

  "Or?" C'baoth challenged.

  Mitth'raw'nuruodo's glowing red eyes were steady on him. "Or I will be forced to destroy you."

  Lorana braced herself for the inevitable explosion. But C'baoth merely smiled thinly. "So says the avian chick to the billinus dragon. Do you truly believe your twelve ships could survive ten minutes against the firepower I hold here in my hand?"

  Mitth'raw'nuruodo lifted his eyebrows politely. "Yourpersonal hand?" he asked.

  "My Jedi are even now standing by in the ComOps Center above us, as well as at the weapons stations of each individual Dreadnaught," C'baoth said. "I'll soon be joining them. . and if you've never before faced Jedi reflexes and insight, you'll find it a sobering experience."

  Mitth'raw'nuruodo's expression didn't change. "Whatever their training, it will do them no good," he said. "Your only choices are to leave now and take your people home, or perish. What is your answer?"

  "What if we promised to goaround this region?" Lorana asked.

  C'baoth looked at her, and she sensed his surprise at her presumption quickly turning to anger. "Jedi Jinzler-"

  "I meanall the way around it," Lorana continued, fighting against the weight of his displeasure pressing against her mind. "We could go to a different part of the Rim and jump off for the next galaxy from there."

  "No," C'baoth said firmly. "That would take us thousands of light-years out of our way."

  "That would be acceptable," Mitth'raw'nuruodo said, looking at Lorana. "Provided you avoided the entire region lying along your current vector."

  "No," C'baoth bit out, his eyes blazing. "Lorana, you will be silent. Commander, you donot dictate to us. Not you; not anyone else."

  Abruptly, he shoved hack his chair and rose towering to his full height. "We are theJedi, the ultimate power in the universe," he declared, the words ringing through the conference room. "We will do as we choose. And we will destroy any who dare stand in our way."

  Lorana stared up at him, her heart suddenly pounding in her throat. What was he saying? What was hedoing?

  There is no emotion; there is peace..

  "In that event, the conversation is over," Mitth'raw'nuruodo said. His expression hadn't changed, but as Lorana tore her gaze from C'baoth and looked at the commander she could sense a hardening of his resolve that sent a fresh shiver up her back. "I will give you an hour to consider my offer."

  "No, you will cease whatever you're doing to hold us in this system and move your ships out of our path," C'baoth countered.

  "One hour," Mitth'raw'nuruodo repeated, sliding back his own chair and standing up. "Jedi Jinzler, perhaps you'll escort me back to my transport?"

  "As you wish, Commander," Lorana said, not daring to look at C'baoth as she scrambled to her feet. "Follow me, please."

  Captain Pakmillu had offered some of his security personnel to bring Mitth'raw'nuruodo aboard. Typically, C'baoth had refused, insisting he and Lorana needed no such show of force to keep the alien commander in line.

  Which now left Lorana and Mitth'raw'nuruodo alone as they walked back toward the hangar. "Your Master C'baoth is both arrogant and stubborn," Mitth'raw'nuruodo commented as they walked. "A bad combination."

  "He is all that," Lorana conceded. "But he's also a Jedi Master, and as such he has knowledge and power hidden from the rest of us. For your own sake, I beg you not to underestimate him."

  "Yet if this knowledge is hidden, how can you be sure it is accurate?"

  Lorana grimaced. That was, unfortunately, a good question. "I don't know," she said.

  "Surely you don't stand alone," Mitth'raw'nuruodo pointed out. "There must be others aboard who oppose to Master C'baoth's tyranny."

  Tyranny. It was a word Lorana hadn't dared use even in the privacy of her own mind. Now, suddenly, it could no longer be avoided. "Yes, there are," she murmured, frowning. Directly ahead down the corridor, shifting nervously back and forth between his feet, she could see Chas Uliar from D-4 loitering against the wall. Here to confront her with some new problem, no doubt.

  But he said nothing as she and Mitth'raw'nuruodo approached, merely following them with brooding eyes as they passed him.

  There was another shuttle parked near the Chiss vehicle, she noted, one of Outbound Flight's transports. Curious; that hadn't been there when the Chiss commander arrived. "We don't intend your people any harm," she told Mitth'raw'nuruodo as they stopped at his shuttle's hatchway.

  "I believe you," he said. "But intent alone is meaningless. Your actions are what will determine your fate."

  Lorana swallowed. "I understand."

  "You have one hour." Inclining his head to her, Mitth'raw'nuruodo turned and disappeared into his vehicle.

  Lorana moved back to allow the pilot room to maneuver.. and as she did so, she sensed a familiar presence. Turning, she saw Uliar walking toward her.

  Striding along behind him, a cold fire in his eyes, was C'baoth.

  "Jedi Jinzler," C'baoth said as Mitth'raw'nuruodo's shuttle slipped through the atmosphere shield and disappeared out into the blackness of space. "I have another job for you."

  The talks had gone on longer than Uliar had expected, and he'd had enough time to get rid of his swoop and find a spot in the corridor outside D-1's forward hangar where he could wait.

  He'd been waiting now for nearly twenty minutes. More than enough time for his internal tension to start to fade away and then start ramping up again.

  Where in blazes were Pressor and the others?

  He could call Pressor and ask, of course. But comlink conversations among different Dreadnaughts ran through a central switching node. If C'baoth had taken over the comm system like he'd taken over everything else, that would show that Uliar wasn't on D-4 like he was supposed to be and tip him off that something was up.

  And then, even as he tried to come up with another way to find Pressor, he saw them coming down the corridor: Lorana Jinzler and a blue-skinned, glowing-eyed near human who had to be Commander Mitth'raw'nuruodo.

  So hewas an unknown alien, or at least one Uliar had never seen. More importantly, he didn't have the clo
thing or other trappings that would indicate he was some official from Coruscant. Uliar grimaced, a part of his hope dying within him.

  But only a part. Whether he was a genuine military commander or just some pirate with an assumed title, Mitth'raw'nuruodo seemed determined to keep them from passing through his territory. If Uliar could persuade him to order them back to the Republic-or even if he and his gang were able to plunder enough of Outbound Flight's supplies that Pakmillu was forced to go back for replacements-they might still be able to get Palpatine to do something about C'baoth's growing stranglehold on the expedition.

  At the very least, Uliar and the others would then have a chance to jump ship and find something else to do with their lives.

  Jinzler and Mitth'raw'nuruodo were coming toward him.. and with the rest of the committee still absent, it was all up to him. Taking a deep breath, he opened his mouth to speak.

  Or rather, he tried to open it. To his horror, his mouth and tongue refused to work.

  He tried again, and again, watching as Jinzler and Mitth'raw'nuruodo closed the gap, his throat and checks straining with his effort. But nothing worked.

  And then they were there, right beside him. He tried to step in front of them, to at least keep them here until he could find a way to unfreeze his mouth. But his legs wouldn't work, either. Silently, he watched them pass him by, oblivious to his urgency and agony and helplessness.

  "So you think to betray me, Uliar?" a quiet voice came in his ear.

  Uliar's neck still worked, but there was no need to turn around. He knew that voice only too well. "Did you really think you could ride a swoop all the way from Dreadnaught-Four without my people in ComOps noticing and alerting me?" C'baoth went on. "So will treason always betray itself."

  With a jolt like that of a suddenly released clamp, Uliar felt his mouth being freed from C'baoth's restraint. "It's not treason," he croaked. "We just want our mission back."

  "Mymission, Uliar," C'baoth said darkly. "Mymission. Who else is in this pathetic little conspiracy?"

  Uliar didn't answer. "Well, let's go see," C'baoth said. "Discreetly, of course, if you please."

  As if Uliar had a choice. With C'baoth's hand riding loosely on his shoulder, the two men headed down the corridor after Jinzler and the blue-skinned alien. They reached the hangar just as the others arrived at Mitth'raw'nuruodo's ship. A few meters away was one of Outbound Flight's shuttles. .

  Uliar felt his breath catch in his throat as he suddenly realized why the rest of the committee hadn't appeared. Rather than bringing everyone in along the corridors and turbolifts like an impromptu parade, Pressor had instead loaded them aboard one of D-4's shuttles and had Mosh fly them across.

  Which meant there was still a chance. All Pressor had to do was pop the hatch, and before C'baoth realized what was happening they would be in front of Mitth'raw'nuruodo, ready to plead their cause. Surely even a Jedi Master couldn't strangle the words out of all of them at the same time.

  But the hatch didn't open. With his tongue frozen again, Uliar watched helplessly as Mitth'raw'nuruodo spoke briefly with Jinzler, then went inside his shuttle and closed the hatch.

  And with that, their last chance was gone.

  C'baoth's hand prodded at Uliar's back, nudging him forward. "And now," the Jedi said with cold satisfaction, "all that remains is for me to decide what to do with all of you."

  Jinzler turned around as they approached, her expression flickering with surprise at their presence. "Jedi Jinzler," C'baoth greeted her. "I have another job for you." He waved a hand casually at the silent shuttle

  The hatch abruptly flew open, spilling Pressor and Mosh out. From the way they sprawled onto the deck, it was obvious they'd been shoving at the hatch with all their weight when C'baoth released his grip on it. "So theywere trying to open it," Uliar murmured.

  "Of course they were," C'baoth said contemptuously. "If a swoop couldn't escape my notice, how did you expect an entire shuttle to do so?" He raised his voice. "You-all of you-come out. I want to see your faces."

  "What's going on?" Jinzler asked, staring at the people as they began filing silently out onto the deck.

  "This, Jedi Jinzler, is a conspiracy," C'baoth said, his voice as dark as Lorana had ever heard it. "These people apparently don't appreciate all the work and effort we've put into making Outbound Flight as rewarding a place as possible to work and live."

  "Maybe we just don't wantyour ideas of what's rewarding," Uliar said. "Maybe we don't want to be treated like children who can't decide for ourselves what we're going to do with our lives."

  "Do you have the Force?" C'baoth countered. "Can you tap into that which binds the universe together, and thus automatically defines what is best for us all?"

  "I don't believe the Force wants to control every aspect of our lives," Uliar shot back. "And Isure don't believe you're the chosen spokesman for that control."

  C'baoth's face darkened. "And who areyou to-?"

  "Master C'baoth," a voice called.

  Uliar turned. Standing at the entrance to the hangar, gazing at them with a face carved from stone, was Master Ma'Ning. "A word with you, if you please," he said. "Now."

  "What are you doing here?" C'baoth called back, and Lorana could sense both surprise and suspicion radiating from him. "You should be at your duty station."

  "A word with you, if you please," Ma'Ning repeated.

  Snorting under his breath, C'baoth strode across the deck toward him. Lorana hesitated a moment, then followed.

  "This had better be important," C'baoth warned as he reached the other Jedi Master. "We have work to do."

  "It is," Ma'Ning assured him, his voice under careful control. "I've spent a great deal of time over the past few days considering and meditating on the situation aboard Outbound Flight. . and I've come to the conclusion that we've overstepped our proper place as guardians and advisers of these people."

  "Walk warily, Master Ma'Ning," C'baoth warned, an edge of menace in his voice. "You're speaking to the rightful and duly appointed leader of this expedition."

  "That you are," Ma'Ning acknowledged. "But even the most powerful and knowledgeable of Jedi may sometimes stumble. It's my opinion that in your zeal to guide, you've crossed the line into direct rule."

  "Then your opinion is wrong," C'baoth countered flatly. "I'm doing what is necessary-andonly what is necessary-to keep this mission running smoothly."

  "Others would disagree," Ma'Ning said, his eyes flicking over C'baoth's shoulder to the crewers and their families gathered together beside their borrowed shuttle. "At any rate, it's now a matter for all of Outbound Flight's Jedi to decide."

  C'baoth seemed to draw back a little. "Are you suggesting that a Judgment Circle be convened?"

  "In actual fact, Master C'baoth, I've already made the arrangements," Ma'Ning said. "The circle will convene as soon as the situation with the Chiss has been resolved."

  For a long moment the two men gazed at each other, and Lorana could sense the tension arcing along the line between their eyes. "Then it will convene," C'baoth said at last. "And when it concludes, you'll understand that I do what is best for Outbound Flight and its people."

  He looked at Lorana. "You'llall understand."

  He turned back to Ma'Ning. "Until then, I am still in command," he went on. "You'll return at once to Dreadnaught-Four and prepare for combat."

  Ma'Ning's lip twitched. "The negotiations with the Chiss have failed?"

  "There was nothing to negotiate," C'baoth said. "Return to Dreadnaught-Four."

  Ma'Ning's eyes flicked to Lorana, as if wondering whether he should ask her opinion on that. But if he was, he left the question unvoiced. "Very well," he said, looking back at C'baoth. Turning, he left the hangar.

  C'baoth took a deep breath, let it out in a long, controlled sigh. "Did you know about this?" he asked quietly.

  Lorana shook her head. "No."

  "A waste of time," C'baoth said contemptuously. "Still, if it'll end this d
angerous disunity, he can convene his little circle. Now; come."

  Turning, he led the way back to Uliar and the others.

  "Wonder what they're talking about," Pressor murmured at Uliar's side.

  "No idea," Uliar said, studying the three Jedi closely. Even if they'd been closer, the hangar's lousy acoustics would probably have made their conversation impossible to hear.

  But neither distance nor acoustics could disguise their expressions. . and to Uliar, it was abundantly clear that no one over there was very happy right now. "Maybe they're finally having it out," he suggested.