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Lady Luck had been flying with her engines cold, a parasite on the side of the cruiser, for more than a month. Respecting that fact, Lando went through an unusually thorough system check in the minutes that remained, bringing the engines to a state of readiness just one step below going hot.

At 1300 hours exactly, Lando thumbed the ship’s com unit. “Threepio, are you there?”

“Yes, Master Lando.”

“How about Artoo?”

“He reactivated on schedule,” said Threepio. “Sir, what did the colonel say when you told him our news?”

“He wasn’t exactly ready to hear it,” Lando said. “Do you remember the song from last night?”

“Yes, of course, sir.”

“Then both of you grab something to hold on to, and, Threepio—you get ready to sing.”

The moment Lady Luck disengaged from the docking ring, alarms began to sound on the bridge of Glorious. In moments the yacht was roaring away from its mooring point and toward the vagabond, its fiery engine exhausts clearly visible from the bridge’s forward viewports.

“What in white blazes—” exclaimed Lieutenant Harona. “Sparks, where’s the colonel?”

“Down in Hangar Three, with Bijo and the foray team.”

“Call him up here,” Harona said, and took a deep breath. “Lady Luck, this is the Glorious. I order you to come about and bring your vessel alongside. If you do not come about immediately, I will order the weapons master to disable your ship.”

“You’d better think about that again, Lieutenant,” Lando answered breezily. “Blaster fire near the vagabond? Remember the Boldheart.”

Harona sighed. “General, what do you think you’re doing out there?”

“Research,” Lando said. “I’d make sure I was recording this if I were you.”

“Turn your ship about, General. This is your last warning.”

At that moment the bridge was filled with the sound of the vagabond’s keening chorus.

“Tracking! Range!” Harona called out.

“Eleven klicks and closing fast.”

“Get a tractor beam on that ship, and I mean now.”

“Ready, now, Threepio,” said Lando, his face tight with anxiety. “Don’t wait for me. Use every band you have. I’ll pipe the standard channels out from here.”

“Very well, Master Lando. I’m extremely glad the colonel agreed to let us test our own theory.”

“He didn’t give me a word of argument,” Lando said. “Ready—here we go.”

There was no more than a heartbeat’s hesitation between the end of the vagabond’s transmission and Threepio’s taking up the song. Throttling the ship back sharply, Lando held his breath and waited, watching the seconds slip by on the bridge chronometer.

“This is exciting,” Lobot said. “Thank you for inviting me.”

“Dying’s exciting, too, I hear,” Lando said, shaking his head. “You pick the strangest times—What’s the status of the interdiction field?”

“It’s up.”

Lando peered at his instruments. “Where’s that tractor beam? They can’t be this slow. What’s happening?”

Glancing sideways at a display, Lobot said, “There’s a secondary shield up. The tractor beam has been deflected.”

“What?” Lando demanded. “The vagabond is protecting us?”

“Yes,” said Lobot. “That appears to be the case. We have been recognized. We have left the colonel’s armada and joined the Qella.”

Chapter 10

In the wee hours of the morning of the Fifth Fleet’s departure from Coruscant, a dark-blue bubble-topped Fleet speeder reached the entry gate at Admiral Ackbar’s residence on Victory Lake. It slowed only briefly, then was waved through, following the drive up to the house.

There was already a vehicle parked there, a sleek-winged Poranji orbital jumper—the smallest ground-to-orbit spacecraft licensed for use on Coruscant, and a favorite of kids with dreams of the stars. But the adult who emerged from the speeder was not beyond the appeal of such glittery attractions. Despite the hour and the weight on his shoulders, General Etahn A’baht paused to look over the Poranji jumper before turning toward the door.

Light flooded the lawn briefly as Admiral Ackbar admitted the commander of the Fifth Fleet. The light