Enemy Lines II_ Rebel Stand - Aaron Allston [79]
The apparatus now stretched a third of Lusankya’s length, hidden away in this access shaft. None of the Vong’s extraordinary visual sensors could detect its fabrication; none of their strategists could anticipate its use.
Davip sighed. Its use would mark the end of his most prestigious command. But prestige wouldn’t mean a thing if the Yuuzhan Vong won, so he watched the continued manufacture of the apparatus, and wished it well.
On the planet below, on the second floor of the biotics building, Captain Yakown Reth set his dinner tray down at a table, allowing it to clatter, and sat heavily on the bench before it. He didn’t bother to keep his disgruntle-ment from his face.
Opposite, Lieutenant Diss Ti’wyn, who flew in Reth’s squadron as Blackmoon Two, smoothed down fur that had suddenly risen on his neck. A brown-and-gold-furred Bothan, Diss was unusually attractive by both Bothan and human standards, and received an enviable amount of attention in social situations. “What crawled down your flight suit and stung your butt?” he asked.
Reth snorted, amused despite himself. “We’re in real trouble here on Borleias.”
Ti’wyn gaped at him. “Really? I thought we were winning.”
“Stop kidding. I mean, in trouble worse than being outnumbered, besieged, and doomed.”
“Oh.” Ti’wyn speared a cooked slice of hardy local tinfruit and popped it into his mouth. “So vent already.”
“Don’t talk with your mouth full. No, Diss, this is no joke.” He lowered his voice so his words would not carry to the next table. “I think we’re in real trouble at the command level.”
“General Antilles? He has a great reputation.”
“Bear with me. You know who’s commanding Lusankya.”
“Eldo Davip.”
“A first-rate foulup if ever there was one.”
“Granted … but he did do all right during the big Yuuzhan Vong push a few weeks back.”
“A fluke, I’m sure. Anyway, Ninora Birt escorted a shuttle out to Lusankya’s repair station. She said that repairs weren’t going well. Whole banks of turbolasers and ion cannon batteries were still out of commission. I didn’t think Lusankya got that badly hammered in the last engagement. Did you?”
“Not really.”
“Which points to colossal mismanagement on Commander Davip’s part, which General Antilles either doesn’t know about, or hasn’t corrected, which doesn’t speak well of his skills.”
Ti’wyn shrugged, noncommittal, but he no longer looked as cheerful.
“That’s just the start. You remember when the Advisory Council visited?”
“Very hush-hush. They had a meeting with Antilles and his general staff, then rushed off.”
“A mechanic who’s just been transferred to Blackmoon Squadron was in the hallway when they left. He says Counselor Pwoe was furious. Pwoe was saying that Antilles had refused command of Borleias, and only relented after making demands to the Council.”
“What demands?”
“I don’t know. What demands would you make?”
“Pleasure yacht, a lifetime pass to the Errant Venture …”
Reth eyed the sliced sausage swimming in spice sauce on his plate. That, as much as this talk, was going to cost him his appetite. “Stop kidding around. And then there’s this Jaina Solo thing.”
Ti’wyn nodded in agreement. “If we have to circle one more time just because her squadron always gets first clearance to land—”
“She and her pilots are getting special treatment in every category there is. First access to spare parts, first access to bacta, full proton torpedo loads, first repairs to starfighters and astromechs … Have you ever seen one of them eating here?” Reth gestured around at the rest of the mess hall, crammed with tables, ringing with noise.
“No.”
“They have their own lounge, and rumor says they have their own chef off Rebel Dream.”
“Her mother’s old ship.”
“Her mother’s old ship. Twins Suns hasn’t done anything Blackmoon Squadron hasn’t, and can’t do anything we can’t, except show off names of important mommies and daddies.