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Corran gave him a quizzical look. “Can you read, Han?”

“Oh, very funny.”

Corran smiled. “Plan Delta uses as many non-Jedi resources as we’re able to pirate. Basically, we get as many Jedi into the building as possible. At a critical time, when the Senate is in session and as many politicians as possible are present, we introduce into the building’s security computer a series of false events that trigger flags within the main threat-evaluation program … convincing the program that a massive planetary invasion has reached the plaza of the Senate Building.”

Han blinked. “What sort of invasion?”

“Yuuzhan Vong.”

“Yuuzhan Vong?” There was incredulity in Han’s voice. “Are you out of your mind? Nobody is going to take a Yuuzhan Vong threat seriously. They’ve been powerless for years.”

“True, but you’re missing the point.” Corran rose, moved over to the chamber’s holodisplay, and punched a series of commands into the console there. The display lit up, projecting a three-dimensional image of the Senate Building in the air. Moments later a large force of Yuuzhan Vong infantry, terrifying in their savage decorations and vonduun crab armor, began charging across the plaza toward sealed-up building doors. A pair of their starfighters, the bulky and nearly indestructible coralskippers, did a fly-by beside the building’s upper tiers. “This is an animation developed as part of a defense plan put together in the months before the Yuuzhan Vong actually did take Coruscant all those years ago. It’s still in the building programming—programmers never throw anything away until it begins to break down. So, we introduce enough false sensory data to convince the system that the Yuuzhan Vong are attacking. Several security measures that benefit us will activate before any living being can figure out what’s going on and override them.”

Corran tapped at Senate Building exits, hangar doors, and well-disguised exterior weapons emplacement ports in turn. “The building seals up. Many of the interior corridors seal, as well. The security centers issue an ‘arm-up’ code to all security personnel on-site. We will be at their armories, keeping their personnel out and letting ours in, meaning that we’ll have armor, riot-control charges, gas charges, whatever we need. We’ll also have a unit of Jedi within striking distance of the Chief of State’s office. If we can secure Daala and the main security hub, we can keep the building shut down and address the Senate with an explanation that they’re safe and that Daala has been taken as a measure to prevent further retaliations by her against slave populations and freedom movements.”

Han whistled. “Control the leader, control the information flow, and portray yourselves as the do-gooders—”

“Which we are.”

“Which we are. But what then?”

Finally Corran returned to his chair. He sighed. “Then we wait. We give the press everything they need to sell our side of the story to the public. We try to persuade the Senators that kicking Daala out will save thousands or millions of voters, which it will, and that they can present themselves as heroes to their constituencies. If we can get sufficient help from Daala’s enemies in the Senate, and that number is already large and growing, we can justify our actions and end this ongoing conflict between the government and the Order before it blows up in everyone’s face.”

Saba turned to Seha. “Much dependz on you at this point. An easing of hostility from Daala. A distraction for the presz. And an opportunity to acquire the information we need about their security center. But the risk to you is serious.”

Seha, grave-faced, nodded. “When I was a child, just getting something to eat was dangerous. I guess now it’s time to pay for all those easy, safe meals I’ve had in the Jedi dining hall.”

Wearing a jade-green jumpsuit instead of Jedi robes, accompanied by a squarish gold-tinted droid, Seha made her way across the plaza toward the main entrance of the Senate Building. Her path was impeded by members of the press who, tipped off by anonymous Jedi