Star Wars_ Children of the Jedi - Barbara Hambly [74]
He’d disconnected them and pulled whatever wiring he could reach.
Though ultimately reassuring, the search had been far from pleasant, and, knowing the Gamorreans, Luke was aware that it was perfectly possible they’d preferred to dispense with the interrogator droids and do it themselves.
It didn’t look as if they had, though.
Ugbuz poked Luke in the ribs with an elbow like a battering ram and pointed to the fat white Klagg boar standing next to the Justice Station’s cold black viewscreen. “Kinfarg,” he explained in an undertone. “Captain of the stinkin’ Klagg sons of sows.” He added commentary on Captain Kinfarg’s personal habits, which Luke suspected were purely speculative. The Gakfedds jeered and catcalled as Kinfarg swaggered up the aisle to take his position next to the podium, but when he began to speak they fell silent, as if by magic.
“What made you turn against your vow to the Imperial Service and join the Rebels, Trooper Mingla?”
Cray straightened up. Luke wondered where Nichos was—the cameras were focused solely on the Justice Station—and whether he was in the room with her, still held to inactivity by his restraining bolt.
“It has yet to be established that I have done anything of the sort, Commander Kinfarg.”
The Gakfedds around Luke hooted and whistled derisively, except for those engaged in trying to prevent the half dozen Talz and the small herd of tripods from escaping the section lounge in which they sat.
“You stupid yammerheads, you gotta watch this!” Krok was growling. “It’s the Will!”
The Talz scratched their heads, wuffled a little, and tried the other door, with much the same results. The tripods just wandered dazedly around, bumping now and then into the furniture or into the stolid ranks of the forty-five Kitonaks whom the Gamorreans had carried laboriously in, standing them like squashy, yeast-colored statues in the rear half of the lounge.
The Gakfedds at least were taking the Will’s orders that everyone watch very seriously.
Presumably, thought Luke, the Affytechans were gathered around a screen in some other lounge. There was a good chance they’d forgotten to switch that screen on, of course, but to the Affytechans it wouldn’t matter.
“That will now be established,” Kinfarg said to Cray. It was still strange beyond words to hear excellent, if colloquial and a little slurred, Basic coming out of those bestial, snouted faces.
Behind him on the black podium screen, green letters rippled to life.
• You are a known associate of other Rebel spies and saboteurs
• You have assisted saboteurs on this vessel in damaging the fabric of this vessel and thus jeopardizing its mission
• You have attempted violence against officers of this vessel in the course of their rightful duties
• You were seen attempting to damage weaponry and landing vessels necessary to the completion of this mission
“That’s a lie!” cried Cray furiously. “It’s all lies! Show me one piece of evidence …”
• You are a known associate of other Rebel spies and saboteurs
1. Your name was given by Rebel spies taken in a raid on Algarian
2. Holograms and retina prints given by the government of Bespin after a Rebel raid match yours
3. You were taken prisoner in a raid on a group of known dissidents and troublemakers on board this vessel
“That’s a complete and absolute falsehood!” Cray was almost in tears of fury. “Not a single one of those allegations is correct, nor are they backed up with evidence—”
“Shut up, trooper!” Kinfarg struck her again, with the same casual violence as before, though Cray saw it coming and rolled with it this time. “ ’Course there’s evidence. Wouldn’t be in the computer without evidence.”
“I insist that the evidence be presented!”
Luke closed his eyes. He knew what was coming.
When he opened them again he saw that the Justice Station’s screen had blandly displayed a screenwide and infinitesimally tiny reproduction of forms, reports, finger- and