Now Qwi stared at Mon Mothma and the other ministers. She straightened
her back, letting her thin arms hang at her sides. She spoke with a flutey
voice that sounded like birdsong.
"Mon Mothma and esteemed representatives of the New Republic government,"
Qwi said, "when I first came to you seeking sanctuary and bringing the Sun
Crusher, you invited me to speak to you whenever I felt the need. Now I must
tell you of my grave concerns. I will try to be brief, because you must come
to a decision."
Beside Wedge, the enormous form of Chewbacca rumbled a low growl of
displeasure; but Wedge was impressed at how quiet and restrained the Wookiee
had managed to hold himself. Chewbacca was not known for his ability to sit
still.
Threepio spoke in a soft voice. "Calm down, Chewbacca. You'll have a
chance to speak soon enough. Are you quite certain you don't want me to edit
your words into m appropriate language? I am a protocol droid, you know, and
I
am familiar with the requirements."
Chewie blatted a quiet but definite negative. Wedge shushed them both so
he could hear Qwi as she spoke. Her musical voice didn't falter, and Wedge
felt a warm pride spreading in his chest.
"The Sun Crusher is the most formidable weapon ever devised," Qwi said.
"I know this better than anyone, because I designed it. It is an order of
magnitude more dangerous than even the Death Star. It is no longer in the
clutches of Imperial powers--but I'm concerned about what the New Republic
intends. I have refused to divulge its workings for a reason, but you have
kept it locked in your research bays for weeks, tinkering with it, studying
it, trying to unlock its secrets. It will do you no good."
She paused to take a long breath, and Wedge worried that she might lose
her nerve. But Qwi straightened her slender form and spoke again. "I urge
you
to destroy the Sun Crusher. A weapon of such power should not be trusted in
the hands of any government."
Mon Mothma looked weak and weary as she gazed down at Qwi. Below and to
her left, old General Jan Dodonna spoke up. "Dr. Xux, according to reports
from our engineers, this weapon cannot be destroyed. The quantum armor makes
it impossible for us even to dismantle it."
"Then you must find some other way to dispose of the Sun Crusher," Qwi
said.
Sounding flustered, Senator Garm Bel-Iblis, Mon Mothma's old nemesis,
rose to his feet. "We cannot allow a weapon of such power to slip out of our
grasp," he said. "With the Sun Crusher, we have a tactical advantage
available
to none of our Imperial enemies."
"Enough," Mon Mothma said in a quavering voice. Her cheeks were flushed,
which served to highlight the pallor of her skin. "We have debated this many
times," she said, "and my opinion stands unchanged. A weapon of such hideous
destructive power is a brutal and inhuman device. The Emperor might have
been
monster enough to consider using it, but under no circumstances will the New
Republic be party to such barbarism. We have no need for such a weapon, and
its presence only serves to divide us. I shall veto any attempts to study
the
Sun Crusher further, and I will fight to my last breath any of you who
suggest
using it against any foe, Imperial or otherwise."
She looked at her military commanders, and Wedge felt intimidated by the
anger and sheer conviction in her voice. The vacant seat of Admiral Ackbar,
who was normally a voice of sanity and moderation, remained empty and hollow
like a deep wound. Wedge silently urged Qwi to speak up again, to tell her
idea.
As if on cue, she said in her melodious voice, "Excuse me, but might I
make a suggestion? Since the Sun Crusher cannot be destroyed by any normal
means, we should use the automatic pilot to send it into the heart of a sun,
or at least to the core of a gas-giant planet, where it will be impossible
to
recover."
General Crix Madine spoke up. "A gas-giant planet would be sufficient.
The pressures at the core are far beyond what even our most sophisticated
vessels can withstand. The Sun Crusher would be out of reach for all time."
Bel-Iblis looked around, his dark eyes flashing. As if sensing defeat and
realizing that a gas planet was marginally more acceptable than the blinding
fury of a star, he said, "All right, dump it into a gas giant then, for
whatever good it will do."
Mon Mothma raised her hand as if to issue an official directive, but Bel-
Iblis interrupted. "On a related topic, I hope you have not forgotten that
the
Maw Installation itself remains a threat. The Imperial admiral may have
taken
her Star Destroyers, but the scientists are still there inside the black
hole
cluster. According to General Solo's report, they have a fully functional
Death Star prototype." He sent a challenging look toward Mon Mothma.
Chewbacca lurched to his feet and bellowed. His roar echoed through the
chamber, stopping all conversation. Threepio waved his golden metallic arms.
"Not yet, Chewbacca, not yet! It's not our turn."
But Mon Mothma looked at the agitated Wookiee and acknowledged him. "You
have something to say to us, Chewbacca? Please."
Chewbacca spoke a long rumbling sentence in his Wookiee language. As he
spoke, Threepio stood beside him and translated quickly in his prissy
synthetic voice.
"Chewbacca wishes to remind this auspicious gathering that not only is
Maw Installation the home of numerous highly intelligent Imperial
scientists,
but it is also a prison for some number of Wookiee captives who have been
held
for nearly a decade. Chewbacca respectfully wishes to suggest--was
Threepio raised a metal hand in front of the Wookiee's mouth. "Slow down,
Chewbacca! I'm doing the best I can." He faced forward again. "Excuse me.
Chewbacca respectfully wishes to request that the New Republic Council
consider an expedition to Maw Installation, both as a rescue party and as an
occupation force for the installation."
Chewbacca roared but Threepio did not seem disturbed. "I know that's not
what you said, Chewbacca, but it's what you meant--so be quiet and let me
finish.
"Ahem, with such an occupation force the New Republic can ensure the
security and whereabouts of whatever unpleasant weapons have been developed
at
Maw Installation. Chewbacca thanks you for your time and consideration, and
he
wishes you to have a pleasant day."
Chewbacca cuffed him, and Threepio sat down in a stiff-legged tumble of
golden arms and legs. "Oh, do be quiet," the droid said. "Every change I
made
was an improvement."
Mon Mothma looked to the gathered Council members. All of them seemed
pleased with the suggestion to send a force to Maw Installation. Qwi Xux
backed toward Wedge, nervous and relieved; he squeezed her shoulder in
congratulation. She smiled at him, and he smiled back.
"I believe we're al
l agreed on this matter," Mon Mothma said, and forced
a weak smile, "for once. We shall set up a rescue and occupation force to go
to Maw Installation. We must move decisively, as soon as possible, but not
so
quickly that we make mistakes."
As Mon Mothma looked around, she seemed to want nothing more than to
leave the chamber and return to her quarters where she could rest. Wedge
frowned in concern.
"If there is no other business," Mon Mothma said, "this meeting is
adjourned."
The Imperial Star Destroyer Gorgon entered planetary orbit like a wide-
bladed knife ready to strike. Flanking the flagship on either side rode the
fully operational cruisers Basilisk and Manticore.
Commander Kratas relayed a message from the navigation console. "We have
achieved orbit around Dantooine."
Daala clasped her gloved hands behind her back and turned to survey the
bridge crew. "Sensor sweep," she said, and waited as the lieutenant
calibrated
his instruments to scan the visible face of the planet.
"A very primitive world, Admiral. No detectible industry. A few nomadic
settlements..." He paused. "Wait. At the terminator I detect a cluster of
people."
Daala studied the swirling olive, blue, and brown face of the planet,
observing the edge of daylight creeping across the surface.
"I've found what appear to be the ruins of a larger base that seems
mostly abandoned now. The inhabited area is not very well developed--mostly
small prefabricated dwellings." The lieutenant scratched his short brown
hair
and bent closer to his glowing screen.
"I see excavations where new superstructures are being set up," he said,
looking up at Daala. "This configuration is consistent with a large
transmitting dish. Perhaps even a shield generator."
Daala's brow furrowed as she pondered how her former mentor Grand Moff
Tarkin would have handled this situation.
Commander Kratas seemed to sense her hesitation and offered, "It doesn't
appear that they could muster much resistance," he said.
Daala pursed her lips. "Even if they did resist, we would still defeat
them. That's not the point." She ran a slender finger along her chin, then
brushed her coppery hair back behind her shoulders. "To start with, we will
target the abandoned base from orbit and level it with our turbolasers. It
will be a spectacular display."
Daala's Star Destroyers controlled enough power to turn entire planets to
slag, but she didn't want to do that here. "Dantooine is too remote for an
effective demonstration," she said, "but we can make use of it nonetheless.
Commander Kratas, I want you to lead a strike force. Take two AT-AT'S from
the
Gorgon and a pair from each of the other two ships. Six Armored Transports
should be enough."
"Me, Admiral? But surely General Odosk or one of the other Imperial Army
commanders--was
"Do you have a problem with my orders, Commander?"
"No, Admiral. Not at all."
"I want you to show your versatility. Didn't they put you through those
exercises on Carida?"
"Yes, Admiral," Kratas said, "I simply thought it would be more efficient
just to blast them from orbit."
Daala fixed him with her emerald stare. "Consider it an exercise,
Commander. We've been cooped up guarding Maw Installation for too long, and
we
won't have another opportunity to catch the New Republic so unprepared."
Now that he was a hopeful colonist, Warton got up in time to watch
Dantooine's peaceful pastel sunrise. He stretched and stepped outside his
prefab self-erecting home unit, enjoying every moment of dawn. He felt safe
and at peace for the first time in his life.
His bones ached, but it was a pleasant soreness from gratifying work. He
would never recover completely from his hard life on the tortured world of
Eol
Sha, but just spending a day without earthquakes or lava flows or scalding
geysers made his life happy.
The other colony units, made of brightly colored polymers set with
transparisteel windows, looked across the whispering savannas of Dantooine.
All the people rescued from Eol Sha agreed that this place seemed like
paradise with tall, waving lavender grasses and broad-boled, jagged-branched
blba trees.
The southeastern horizon grew bright where Dantooine's amber sun would
rise. Overhead in the purplish skies he saw three brilliant stars moving
against the other points of light.
A cluster of six meteors streaked through the sky toward the horizon,
their bright trails like slashes of claws. Then the supersonic screeching
noise of their descent shattered the early-morning stillness. He saw the
meteors impact; the savanna glowed with spreading flames not far from the
colony.
Other colonists from Eol Sha scrambled out of their huts, roused by the
noise from the sky. Not far to the east, the empty ruins of the old Rebel
base
rose like adobe bulwarks out of the grasses. A small team of New Republic
construction engineers bustled about their encampment.
"What is it?" his wife Glena said as she stepped out of the dwelling to
stand beside Warton. He shook his head, unable to answer.
Then deadly lightning began to rain down from above.
The singing of mace flies fell into silence. Blinding bolts of green
laser fire shot down, striking the abandoned base and ripping up huge clouds
of fragmented buildings and shards of synthetic rock.
Turbolaser beams from orbit flashed again, cutting across their earlier
path. In seconds they had obliterated the entire abandoned base, leaving
only
a smoldering rubble-strewn scar.
The colonists ran out of their dwellings. Some screamed; others just
stared in stupefied terror. Luke Skywalker had promised he would find a
place
of safety for the people of Eol Sha--but it seemed the Jedi had been
mistaken.
As the ruins of the base continued to crackle and steam, and fires spread
across the dry savannas, Warton heard a pulsating, low-pitched sound the
humming of massive engines, the clanking of metal, thunderous footfalls.
He squinted into the brightening morning, still dazzled from the green
laser bolts, until he could discern the monstrous silhouettes of gigantic
walking machines. Four-legged and camellike, the Imperial walkers--All
Terrain
Armored Transports--strode from their smoldering landing sites and marched
in
hulking formation across the savanna.
The cockpit "heads" of the attacking AT-AT'S bent lower to aim banks of
laser cannons. Precision bolts of green and red fire shot down. The ancient
swollen blba trees erupted into flames that spread out in concentric circles
across the dry grasses. Greasy smoke curled up, carrying the stench of
burning
wet vegetation and roasted small animals.
Warton shouted, "Run everyone! Get away from the dwellings. They will
target them first."
The refugees from Eol Sha waded across the tall grasses as Impe
rial
walkers plodded forward. The AT-AT'S covered more distance with each step
than
a human could run in half a minute. The walkers took aim at the fleeing
colonists, striking each individual with enough firepower to destroy a small
fighter ship.
Glena yanked her hand away from Warton and shouted at him, "Wait!" She
turned around to run back toward their small dwelling.
"No!" he yelled, unable to imagine anything that would cause her to turn
and run into the attack.
Before she could say another word, a blinding lance of turbolaser fire
exploded full in her chest, and Warton watched in utter horror as Glena
vanished in a blazing, sizzling cloud of red steam.
The six walkers continued to march ahead, firing at blba trees, at colony
huts, and at anything that moved. The great machines spread out to encircle
the entire settlement.
Over at their encampment the New Republic engineers had managed to set up
a single-ion cannon. Warton, still standing stricken and motionless, watched
their tiny forms as they scrambled to rig the dish-shaped generator. He knew
the people manning the ion cannon were simply construction engineers with no
battle training.
"Why?" Warton wanted to know. But so many questions filled his head that
he could not be more specific than that Why?
The New Republic engineers powered up the ion cannon and focused a single
blast toward the lower section of the closest Imperial walker. The bolt
struck
and fused the knee joint of the AT-AT'S front foreleg, melting the
servomotor
mechanisms. The walker halted and tried to limp backward in a stiff-legged
retreat.
The other five AT-AT'S swiveled their heads in unison, targeting the
single ion cannon with a river of laser blasts in a great gout of green
fire--
obliterating communications gear and ion cannon in a single splash of light.
The walkers advanced again, firing indiscriminately. The prefabricated
colony huts exploded one by one. Hungry flames raged through the dry grasses
on the savanna.
Warton's people screamed as they ran, and stumbled, and died. The roar of
destruction rang in his ears, and still he could not move. He stood with his
hands at his sides. His entire body trembled.
Even the blasted world of Eol Sha had never been as hellish as Dantooine.
Commander Kratas sat in the AT-AT'S unfamiliar cockpit, directing the
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