Dark Apprentice

by Kevin J. Anderson

  The shock wave rang against the hull, sending a sound like a gong through

  the

  enclosed sub. A fury of bubbles and drifting debris surged around them.

  Large

  splintered seatree trunks sank to the ocean bottom.

  "The probe self-destructed!" Cilghal said. "But we didn't stand a chance

  against it."

  Leia remembered Han's conjecture on Hoth. "The probe droids have

  programming to destroy themselves rather than risk letting their data fall

  into enemy hands."

  Ackbar finally managed to stabilize the spinning submersible. Four of the

  mechanical arms extending from the front of the sub had been snapped off,

  leaving only frayed edges of broken metal and dead circuitry.

  Ackbar blew one of the ballast tanks, and the sub rose toward the

  surface. Leia noticed three hairline cracks in the transparisteel windowport

  and realized how close they had come to being crushed by the shock wave.

  "But the probot already sent its signal," Cilghal said. "We heard it

  before the self-destruct."

  Leia felt a cold fist of fear close around her stomach, but Ackbar tried

  to dismiss the peril.

  "This probe droid has been here for ten years or more, and that would

  have been a very old code, almost certainly obsolete," he said. "Even if the

  Imperials could still understand its message, who would be out there

  listening?"

  With her three Imperial Star destroyers safely hidden among the ionized

  islands of the Cauldron Nebula, Admiral Daala retired to her private

  quarters

  to review tactics.

  She sat stiffly in a slick lounge chair, refusing to relax into the warm

  contours. Too much comfort made Daala distinctly uncomfortable.

  The holographic image of Grand Moff Tarkin stood with her in the dim

  room, unchanged after all these years. The gaunt, hard man presented his

  recorded lectures, his communiqu@es. Daala had watched them dozens of times

  before.

  In the privacy of her chambers, she allowed herself to miss the one

  person in the Imperial Military Academy who had seen her talent. Tarkin had

  raised her rank to admiral - comz far as she knew, the highest rank held by

  any female in the Imperial armed forces.

  During her years of exile in Maw Installation, Daala had often replayed

  Tarkin's messages, but now she studied them intently. Her eyebrows knitted

  together, and her bright green eyes narrowed as she concentrated on every

  word

  he spoke, searching for some indispensable advice for her private war

  against

  the Rebellion.

  "Liquidating a dozen small threats is easier than rooting out one well-

  established center of defiance," his image said, in a speech given on Carida

  explaining the "Tarkin Doctrine." "Rule through the fear of force rather

  than

  through force itself. If we use our strength wisely, we shall intimidate

  thousands of worlds with the example of a select few."

  Daala rewound the holotape to listen to his words again, thinking she had

  been on the verge of capturing a crucial insight. But the door chime

  interrupted her. She switched off the holoprojector. "Lights up."

  Stocky Commander Kratas stood stiffly at her door, his uniform wrinkle

  free, his hands clasped behind his back. He was trying to mask a smug grin

  of

  satisfaction, but the expression displayed itself in a small facial tick and

  the slight upturn of his vanishingly thin lips.

  "Yes, Commander, what is it?" she said.

  "We have intercepted a signal," Kratas said. "It appears to be from an

  Imperial probe droid transmitting covert data gathered on an important Rebel

  planet called Calamari, the site of one of their prime starship-building

  facilities. We can't tell how recent the information is."

  Daala raised her eyebrows and let her colorless lips form a smile. With

  both hands she swept her molten-metal hair behind her shoulders, feeling

  static electricity crackle through her fingertips, as if generated from the

  excitement building within her. "Are you certain this transmission is

  genuine?

  Where was it directed?"

  "It was a broad-sp ectrum signal, Admiral. My assumption is that these

  probe droids were deployed in a widely scattered pattern. They would not

  know

  the location of any particular Star Destroyer when they transmitted a

  report."

  "Could it be a hoax sent by the Rebels? A trap?"

  "I don't believe so. It was heavily encoded. We almost couldn't crack it

  ourselves until we double-checked against one of the new codes Grand Moff

  Tarkin delivered on his last visit to Maw Installation."

  "Excellent, Commander," she said, brushing her palms down the smooth

  olive-gray of her uniform slacks. "We've been looking for a new target to

  strike, and if this is an important starship-construction facility, that

  sounds like a good candidate. As good as anything, I suppose. I want you and

  the captains of the other two ships to meet me in the war room. Prepare the

  Star Destroyers for immediate departure. Recharge all turbolaser batteries.

  Outfit all TIE fighters.

  "This time we will follow Grand Moff Tarkin's strategy to the letter."

  She punctuated the last phrase with an index finger jabbing the air. "Have

  everyone review their tapes. I want no mistakes. A flawless attack."

  She dimmed the lights as she stepped into the corridor. Her two

  stormtrooper bodyguards fell into ranks behind her. Their boot heels clicked

  on the floor in perfect echoing unison.

  "We are through practicing," Daala said to Kratas. "After our strike the

  planet Calamari will be nothing more than a rubble heap."

  * * *

  Leia piloted Ackbar's open-canopied wavespeeder as they rushed over the

  oceans of Calamari. The sky was still a congealed soup of dark clouds, but

  the

  previous day's storm had run out of energy. The wind remained fresh and

  cool,

  tossing droplets of salty spray into theirthe faces--but Leia could not stop

  smiling with relief just to know that Ackbar had agreed to come to Coruscant

  with her, if only to speak with Mon Mothma.

  She and Cilghal would take him back to Foamwander City, where he could

  turn over his seismic data to other Calamarian scientists. Sitting in the

  backseat of the wavespeeder, Ackbar seemed deeply troubled and unsure of

  himself.

  The lumpy hemisphere of the Calamarian city looked like a gunmetal-gray

  island. Other small seaskimmers drifted in and out, gathering up nets and

  dashing back to access openings.

  Ackbar sat up stiffly. "Listen!"

  Over the rushing noise of the wind and waves, Leia heard the sharp tones

  of an all-hands alarm. She grabbed the comm unit, punching buttons for

  Foamwander City control. "This is wavespeeder seventeen-oh-onestseven. What

  is

  the cause of the alarm?"

  Before Leia could receive an answer, a curtain of brilliant light sliced

  through the clouds, slashing the ocean surface near the floating city.

  Geysers

  of suddenly vaporized water plumed into the air with a whoop.

&nbs
p; "Those are turbolasers!" Leia said.

  Ackbar gripped the side of his seat. "We're being fired on from orbit."

  "Wave doors are closing," said a maddeningly calm Calamarian voice

  through the speaker system. "All citizens take shelter immediately. Repeat,

  wave doors are closing."

  Most of the other sea vehicles had disappeared inside the various

  openings around the hull of Foamwander City. Those who could not make it to

  the doors abandoned their craft and dived overboard to swim down to

  submerged

  entryways.

  Many wave doors had already clamped shut like diagonal mouths. Leia aimed

  for one of the remaining openings and punched the wavespeeder's accelerator.

  The lurch pressed all three of them back against their padded seats.

  Overhead, like a flock of razor-winged carrion birds, came an entire

  squadron of TIE fighters and TIE bombers. They swooped down in a steep

  descent

  with a roaring howl of their Twin Ion Engines.

  The TIE bombers released glowing energy packets that exploded in the sea,

  sending out shock waves and foam and spray. TIE fighters roared over

  Foamwander City, strafing with their laser cannons. Lances of green light

  etched smoldering damage into the city shell.

  One of the shock waves tossed a wall of water at Leia's wavespeeder. She

  fought for control but did not slow down, keeping her eyes fixed on the

  closing wave doors. If they didn't make it through the gap, they would be

  helpless out on the water, ready targets for the Imperial bombardment.

  Ackbar said, "We left a squadron of B-wing fighters to defend the

  orbiting shipyards. Where are they? I have to learn what's happening up

  there.

  "

  Cilghal maintained a quiet, steady voice. "Perhaps they are otherwise

  occupied."

  "Hang on!" Leia said, and fired emergency thrusters.

  The wavespeeder lifted another meter above the surface of the ocean as it

  flew in a last-ditch effort to get through the closing gap. Leia ducked as

  the

  diagonal metal wave doors ground closer and closer....

  The bottom layer of plasteel plating scraped off the wavespeeder as Leia

  struck the sharp edge of the heavy door; then they shot into the protected

  green-lit tunnel. With the vehicle traveling at such high speed, even that

  minor impact was enough to send them spinning. Leia wrestled with the

  controls, trying to slow the vehicle as it caromed off one wall and then the

  opposite wall, sending out showers of sparks. Finally it ground to a halt.

  Behind them, with a thunderous echo, the wave doors slammed shut.

  Pausing only long enough to confirm that they were all unharmed, Leia

  picked her way out of the wreckage. Through the thick armor of the floating

  city she heard the repeated thuds of explosions from TIE bombers and the

  screams from firing laser cannons.

  Ackbar stepped away from the wreckage and turned to Cilghal. "Take me to

  the control center immediately. I want to be linked with the orbital defense

  forces." He already looked more alive, more alert. "If I can see what's

  going

  on, maybe I can figure out a way to help us all."

  "Yes, Admiral," Cilghal said. Leia wondered if she had used his rank

  intentionally.

  Flashing lights and alarm sirens echoed as they hurried through the

  serpentine corridors. Groups of Quarren rushed past, burbling exclamations

  through their tentacled faces as they scrambled down access shafts to the

  underwater levels. Leia had no doubt they were abandoning the city

  structure,

  swimming down to where they thought they were safe.

  When Cilghal reached a turbolift door, other Calamarians flocked to it,

  trying to get to the city's protected inner chambers. Cilghal raised her

  voice, the first time Leia had heard her do so. "Make way for Admiral

  Ackbar!

  We must get to Central Command."

  "Ackbar," several Calamarians echoed, stepping aside to allow him

  passage. "Admiral Ackbar!"

  Ackbar seemed taller now, without the haunted look he had worn since the

  crash on Vortex. Leia knew that all Calamarians remembered the nightmare of

  Imperial attacks - comb if anyone could mount a successful defense with what

  little resources they had, it would be Ackbar.

  After the turbolift spilled them out onto the proper level, Ambassador

  Cilghal led the way. She used her diplomatic access codes to let them into

  the

  core of Foamwander City until they finally emerged into the chaotic Central

  Command.

  Seven Calamarian tactical experts sat at command stations, watching the

  battle overhead. In the center of the room a holographic wireframe diagram

  of

  the planet and its moon hovered amid sparkling pinpoints of fighters flying

  in

  defensive formation.

  Leia stared in awe at the two Imperial Star Destroyers that orbited the

  planet side by side, firing turbolaser blasts into the oceans. Overhead, TIE

  squadrons continued to harass Foamwander City. External viewers showed

  smoldering holes where proton bombs had punctured the city's armored

  plating.

  Foamwander's defensive lasers fired upward, burning ship after ship out of

  the

  sky--but more attackers kept coming down.

  Reeling with shock, the city commander turned from his post and noticed

  them for the first time. "Admiral Ackbar! Please, sir, help us with our

  defense. I cede my position."

  "Give me a tactical update," Ackbar said, stepping to the holographic

  projection.

  "Cilghal," Leia said, raising her voice over the hubbub, "get me to the

  comm system. I can use my priority codes to send for New Republic military

  assistance. On a low frequency the codes can punch through any interference

  from those Star Destroyers."

  "Can their battleships get here in time?" Cilghal asked.

  "Depends on how long we can maintain our defenses here," Leia said.

  Though Leia could read no specific emotion on Cilghal's face, she sensed

  some measure of pride. "The Mon Calamari broke the first Imperial occupation

  using only common tools and scientific implements. This time we have real

  weapons. We can hold them off as long as necessary." Cilghal motioned to a

  nearby control panel. "You may use that communication station to send your

  message."

  Leia hurried to the comm station and punched in the override codes to

  send a tight-beam encoded signal directly to Coruscant. "This is Minister

  Leia

  Organa Solo," she said. "The planet Calamari is currently under attack by

  two

  Imperial Star Destroyers. We request immediate assistance. Repeat, immediate

  assistance! If you don't get here soon, don't bother to come."

  The city commander thrust a webbed hand into the holographic display of

  the battle. "We positioned the entire squadron of B-wing fighters to defend

  the shipyards, because we thought that would be the most likely target. But

  when the Star Destroyers came out of hyperspace, they went into orbit and

  began an assault on the floating cities. Right now both Star Destroyers are

  concentrating
their firepower on Reef Home City. They've left two squadrons

  of

  TIE fighters and TIE bombers to cover Foamwander City. Another three

  squadrons

  are currently pummeling Coral Depths."

  "Commander," one of the Calamarian tacticians spoke up, touching an

  implanted microphone at his ear hole. "We've lost all contact with Reef

  Home.

  Their last transmissions showed the outer hull breached in at least fifteen

  separate places, water rushing in. The final image showed a large-scale

  explosion. Static signature analysis implies that the entire city has been

  destroyed."

  A quiet moan of dismay rippled through Central Command. The city

  commander said tentatively, "I was about to withdraw defenses from the

  shipyards to attack the Star Destroyers."

  Ackbar looked at the swarms of B-wings still harrying the Imperial

  fighters. "Good decision, Commander," he said, but stared intently at the

  map,

  at the moon, at the two Star Destroyers on the far side of the planet. "Wait

  a

  moment," he said. "Something looks very familiar to me."

  He paused, nodding slowly as if his great head were too heavy for his

  shoulders. "Yes, Commander--withdraw the B-wing fighters, all of them. Send

  them to fight the Star Destroyers. Leave the shipyards entirely undefended."

  "Is that wise, Admiral?" Leia asked.

  "No," he said, "it is a trap."

  On the bridge of the Star Destroyer Gorgon, Admiral Daala watched the

  battle unfold below her, exactly as planned.

  In her heart she felt a warm glow of pride for the tactical genius of

  Grand Moff Tarkin. Beside her ship the Basilisk mowed a swath of death

  across

  the watery surface. Like a swarm of angry insects, the TIE fighters swept

  away

  the pitiful resistance the Calamarians managed to mount.

  The Rebel B-wing fighters and some of the midsized capital ships in orbit

  proved only a minor nuisance. As the Gorgon and the Basilisk went through

  their carefully choreographed misleading attack, the Calamarian defense

  forces

  had followed along as expected, like marionettes pulled by strings.

  She turned to the communications officer at his station. "Contact Captain

  Brusc on the Manticore," she said. "The Calamarian forces have finally left

  their shipyards undefended. He may begin his attack at once."

  Ackbar gestured with his hands and spoke with an undignified rapidity, as