Star Wars_ Fate of the Jedi 08_ Ascension - Christie Golden [150]
Reige’s aide said something to him. The admiral nodded and turned to Jag. “Your friend Moff Getelles wishes to speak with you.”
“Patch him through,” Jag said.
“Our plan worked admirably, I think,” said Getelles’s image on the screen. He was beaming, though he looked weary and worn.
“I do, too,” Jag said. “I must confess, that is the first time I have ever willingly worked with someone whose first announcement of said plan was to stun me with a blaster.”
“You must admit,” said Getelles, chuckling a little, “that it fooled Daala completely.”
“It certainly fooled me,” Tahiri, standing beside Jag, said. “Good thing Jag came out of it before I came in.”
Jag had awoken shortly after Getelles had completed his message to Daala. Getelles had been smart: he’d put his blaster on the table and his hands in the air as soon as Jag began to emit muffled grunts.
“I submit myself to your justice, Head of State Fel, but please hear me out first!”
Jag had grabbed the blaster and pointed it at Getelles. Tahiri, having heard the sound of the blaster—the room was not soundproof, as Getelles had misinformed Daala—had rushed in, lightsaber at the ready.
“Let him finish,” Jag had instructed his bodyguard. “This should be good.”
Actually, it was. “Daala plans to have you assassinated,” Getelles had said. “And now you are. My cover will work if your people will play along with it. I’ll tell you where she’ll be in twelve hours. You show up, and I’ll cast my lot in with you, for the same terms we discussed before.”
“One more thing you should know that ought to solidify this deal,” Jag said. “I do have a recording of you talking to Daala. I have another one of her talking to another Moff—Porrak Vansyn. It seems she hasn’t really forgiven or forgotten you, Tol. Once her position was secure, she had planned to turn on you and give all your holdings to Vansyn.”
It was amusing, Jag thought, to recall exactly the precise shade of purple-red Getelles had turned.
Jag had played the recording, lest Getelles think he was bluffing. Upon hearing it, and the contempt in Daala’s voice as she spoke of him, Getelles had indeed become wholeheartedly an ally—as he had proved early in the battle.
“Now, I think, it’s time to settle up.”
Jag looked at him curiously. “What do you mean?”
“Well, sir, you must be aware that the sample of the rejuvenation serum I, er, accepted from you was a fake. You agreed to give me back the stolen sample as part of our bargain.”
“Oh, I don’t think so.”
Getelles’s smile faltered. “You said you would return the sample!”
“You asked for the vial on the table. This vial, right here, I believe were your exact words. I gave you that vial, right there.”
The smile was now entirely gone. “I thought better of you, Jagged Fel. That sort of trick is beneath you!”
“And the development of this kind of illegal drug is beneath you, sir,” said Jag, not bothering to hide his disgust. “I will keep to my end of the bargain. I will not charge you for experimenting with this sort of thing, nor will I hold any past crimes or offenses against you. By allying with me, you have helped keep the galaxy stable, and I think you have earned forgiveness with that action. But know that I will send someone to investigate the laboratories that created this serum, and everything pertaining to this experiment will be destroyed at that time if you haven’t done so already. You walk out of this with your holdings, your reputation—such as it is—intact, your liberty, and your head. I think that should be sufficient. Do you agree?”
The anger had passed, and now Getelles looked merely resigned. “Yes, sir,” he said, saluting. “The laboratories will be dismantled and the research destroyed upon my return to Antemeridias.”
“I’m glad we understand each other. I do appreciate what you’ve done