Enemy Lines II_ Rebel Stand - Aaron Allston [25]
Leia nodded. “I’ve been recording us from time to time for situations just like this. Each conversation is cued to a different piece of music. It’s much simpler than hunting down and exterminating all the listening devices that are likely to be planted here.”
“Politics …” Han shook his head. “Not my strength. Care to let me know what we’re looking at here, so I have an idea of what to shoot at?”
Leia nodded and crooked a finger at C-3PO. The protocol droid moved up to stand before the couch, and, when Leia beckoned again, leaned forward until his golden head made the third point of a triangle with theirs. “Yes, mistress?”
“Have you been sampling the local information broadcasts?”
“I have.”
“Can you synopsize the Presider’s election and the candidate positions?”
“There are three candidates, but two are sufficiently out ahead of the third so far in pre-election polls that only their participation has any meaning,” the droid said. “Addath Gadan is a twenty-year representative of Vannix before the New Republic Senate, and Admiral Apelben Werl heads the planetary system’s navy. Since the abdication of the previous Presider, each has come to dominate, through political strategems, force of will, and calling due of personal markers, ever-greater portions of the planetary infrastructure. It is expected that the upcoming election will end the competition between them, but it remains possible that the loser in the contest will choose not to accept the election results and seize the government by force. Addath Gadan promotes an agenda of cooperation with and appeasement of the Yuuzhan Vong, while Admiral Werl favors military opposition. As is customary in politics, each supports the notion that her election constitutes a mandate of the masses related to these preeminent campaigning issues rather than a matter of personal charisma.”
“Nicely boiled down,” Han whispered. “Can you do the history of the Sith in thirty words or less?”
“Only in the most general terms, sir, and without including most pertinent dates and personality profiles—”
“Han, stop that.” Leia scowled at him.
“Sorry, easy target, I know.” Han sighed. “All right. We’ve actually accomplished our number one objective here. If they haven’t already, our two secret passengers will soon drag their crates of comm gear, weapons, and trade goods out of the Falcon and run off to begin setting up a local resistance cell. So we could leave tomorrow and consider this mission a success.”
“We could.”
“But not with your conscience clean.”
“Or yours either.”
“My conscience is always clean. But we would be leaving the planet in a situation where it might elect an appeaser to rule the government, which means the day after that the Yuuzhan Vong have another ally in their war on us.”
“That’s right.”
“So I expect you’ll want to stay for a few days.”
“That’s right.”
“And fire a political concussion missile right into the campaign plans of your friend.”
Leia nodded, her expression regretful. “Addath is not my friend. She’s just a politician whose skills I respect. I don’t owe her any ill will. But this is business, and it’s obvious that our interests have gone their separate ways … probably forever. We can’t let her win, Han. The only question is whether we can let this Admiral Werl win, either.”
Han couldn’t keep a grin from his face. “Election rigging is illegal, you know. Not entirely suited to a law-abiding politician from a good family.”
Leia’s smile matched his. “I’m not a politician anymore, Han. I’m just pretending to be one. I’ve come over to the scoundrel side of the Force.”
Han waited for a break in the recorded dialogue issuing from R2-D2, then scowled at the droids. “Hey, you two. Go take a walk. Give a couple of scoundrels some privacy here.”
Borleias
“You’re the nosebleed guy, aren’t you?”
The voice came from the other side of the blue sheet separating Tam’s bed from the next one to his left. It was a boy’s voice.
“The ‘nosebleed guy’?”
A small hand pulled the sheet partway aside and Tam could see the speaker, a boy of perhaps twelve,