Enemy Lines II_ Rebel Stand - Aaron Allston [22]
It was a bad thought. It meant that the device didn’t work anymore. Even if it worked forever, Ryuk seemed to be saying, it would not cut through this.
Bitter disappointment filled the tall man’s heart. He gestured, shoving, and Ryuk slammed into the black stone.
The tall man heard Ryuk’s bones break and, as Ryuk slid down the surface of the stone, saw blood trailing behind. He felt Ryuk’s emotions go from fear to quiet to nothingness.
The tall man needed another person, someone smarter, with better machines. He turned to leave. He would find such a person.
Vannix, Vankalay System
“We drop from hyperspace in ten seconds,” Leia called over her shoulder.
The Falcon’s two living passengers called out acknowledgments.
The system and its chief inhabited world popped into view right on schedule—a relief, and something of an unusual event, considering the number of times the Falcon had been yanked out of hyperspace by gravitic anomalies.
Vannix, first planet of the Vankalay star system, not far from the mighty industrial system of Kuat and traditionally within that world’s sphere of influence, was a mottled green-and-blue sphere with patches of white at the poles and streaks of brown above and below the equator. For Leia, for a moment, it was almost heartbreaking just to see the planet. Lovely worlds sometimes evoked that response in her. The image of one in particular, her homeworld Alderaan, shattered by the incredible might of the first Death Star, would be with her throughout her life.
The comm board came alive, snapping Leia out of her momentary distraction. “Vannix System Control to incoming vessel, please identify yourself.”
Han grinned at her. “Showtime.”
“Hush.” She switched over to send on the same frequency. “Vannix System Control, this is the Millennium Falcon, of Coruscant registry, currently out of Borleias, Pyria system, Leia Organa Solo speaking.”
There was a delay even greater than speed-of-light transmission limitations could account for. Then: “Uh, copy, Millennium Falcon. Please state your destination and objective.”
“This is a diplomatic mission to your capital, an official envoy from New Republic Fleet Group Three to the Presider of Vannix. We have a crew of two and two droids. We request a diplomatic visa.”
“Understood, Millennium Falcon.” There was another delay. “Pending verification, your request is granted. We’ll put up a homing beacon for you, and have an escort awaiting you at outer lunar orbit.”
“Thanks, Control. If I may ask, did Senator Gadan return to Vannix?” Addath Gadan, representative of this world to the New Republic Senate, had been on Coruscant at the time of the Yuuzhan Vong invasion; her fate since the penetration of Coruscant’s defenses was unknown.
“Yes, Your Highness. If you wish, I can inform her office of your arrival.”
“I’d appreciate that, Control. Thank you.”
“Control out.”
Leia leaned back. “So far, so good. No challenges, no sign of Yuuzhan Vong intrusion.”
“I don’t know,” Han said. “It’s always these little worlds that get you in trouble. Like Tatooine. I’m still living that one down.”
Leia gave him an arch look. “You’re complaining?”
“No. Well … No.”
She grinned, refusing to rise to the bait. “You’d better be nice to me. I know where you live.”
“I’ll be nice.” He raised the timbre of his voice into a fair imitation of the control officer Leia had just been talking with. “Yes, Your Highness. If you wish, I can get you a cup of caf.”
Leia just sighed and ignored him.
Han called over his shoulder, “We’re going to pick up an escort in a minute. You guys should probably get in the pod now.”
“Understood, General.” That was the voice of one of their two passengers; Han didn’t know which. The two women were Intelligence operatives; Han and Leia had met them just before the mission began and, once they set down on Vannix, would probably never see or hear from them again. The operatives would be setting up a resistance cell. Though this was, by comparison with