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By Root 2388 0

a hot, stormy, and unpleasant world even before the Yuuzhan Vong had gotten to it, and now it was no doubt even less attractive. Nor was its moon, Boreleo, worth notice. Once a mining colony of little note, it had been abandoned at some time long ago, probably even before the Yuuzhan Vong had terraformed the world it orbited. More recently, it appeared to have been the site of an accident, if the abandoned hulk of a battered transport that a routine scan had discovered was any indication. In short, it was nondescript, little thought of by anyone, and conveniently located in the Meridian sector. Which was perfect for Daala’s needs.

“Admiral, several vessels are dropping out of hyperspace,” Chimaera’s captain, Tors Remal, said. A thin, elegant man with silver hair and a matching goatee, he was an excellent choice to command her flagship. He never batted an eye at the more violent things he occasionally had to do—in fact, he even seemed to get a certain enjoyment out of them.

“That should be Drikl, right on time.” She did not betray any of her anxiety. Lecersen had assured her that he would be able to bring up to three-quarters of his available vessels. He did not mention exactly how many that would be.

There were several flashes of light, and any tension she might have had eased considerably. Right in the forefront was Lecersen’s flagship, an old Imperial II Star Destroyer named the Empire Maker, followed by an Interdictor-class cruiser. In formation were nearly three dozen vessels—frigates, corvettes, an escort cruiser, and a starfighter carrier.

But how many starfighters? she wondered. “Open a channel,” she instructed, and a moment later she was smiling at a small holographic image.

“Drikl. You are more than punctual. And I confess, you bring a better collection to the fray than I had anticipated.”

“You’ll find that I am an excellent ally, Admiral,” he said. He did not seem in the least distressed that she casually referred to him by his first name while he addressed her by rank.

“You know, Drikl,” she said, “I think that we might have wasted rather a lot of time attacking each other instead of someone else.”

He inclined his head. “We have certainly had our differences in the past, and I have come to that conclusion myself.”

She wasn’t sure that he had, and she would not make the mistake of assuming him trustworthy, but thus far he was cooperating.

“It has, at least, given you time to assemble a rather decent-sized flotilla,” she continued. “How many wings of starfighters?”

“Nine.”

“Good. I have twelve,” she said. “We’re off to a promising start.”

“Who will be joining us?”

“Your friend Vansyn, Moff Getelles, and Moff Trevin, for now. We’ll be rendezvousing with others shortly, and then we should have a total of eight Moffs, as well as aid from other sources.”

“Such as?”

“A girl doesn’t tell all her secrets, or else there’s no mystery. All you need to know for now is that they are already en route to the rendezvous point.”

Lecersen frowned slightly. “If I’m to be of the best aid possible, then I should be told more, Admiral.”

“Well, how about some good news then? Jagged Fel is dead.”

That rattled his composure. Warring emotions played over his face. “Really?”

“Really.”

“You’ve seen the body?”

“Next best thing. I heard the attack.” She did not mention that the incident reminded her of being an audio witness to the murder of Pellaeon three years earlier. What goes around, comes around indeed, she reflected.

“I find myself torn. On the one hand, Fel has been a terrific thorn in my side, and none of my efforts were successful. On the other, I have armed the Empire Maker with several baradium missiles in the hope of dispatching him myself. How did you manage it?”

Daala smiled thinly. She was beginning to wonder if there were anything this sleemo wasn’t behind. Politics did indeed make strange bedfellows.

“Don’t worry. I am certain we’ll find some suitable targets for your missiles,” she said. “As for dispatching Fel, it was ease itself, really. One of my allies was invited to a private dinner aboard the