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Pakkpekatt left Colonel Hammax in command of Lady Luck’s flight deck and charged Pleck with making the arrangements with Coruscant for the recall signal to be rebroadcast from NRI stations and vessels operating in the open. Then he and Taisden went across to Penga Rift in the research vessel’s skiff.

They brought with them a selection of images from Gmar Askilon, a copy of the genetic catalog, and a request for one of Penga Rift’s orbital relay satellites. Standard equipment aboard research and exploration vessels—but not aboard Lady Luck—the generic helmet-sized units were ordinarily used in sets of three to give a single ship global comm coverage.

“We can and will originate the recall signal from Lady Luck,” Taisden explained. “But for obvious reasons, we might not want to be right next to the antenna if and when the vagabond jumps in-system.”

A profoundly distracted Joto Eckels agreed with a wave of his hand. “Yes, of course. We carry two spares—Mazz will make one available to you.” The holos of the vagabond escaping from the armada, juxtaposed with selected views of the destroyed Prakith cruiser, had made a deep impression on Eckels.

But the major distraction was the dispatch containing the report on the Qella genome. “This is very good work,” Eckels said, studying the sequences on his datapad. “These Eicroth bodies—what an extraordinary discovery. This report is based on the single example I delivered to Harkin Dyson, yes?”

“I assume so,” said Pakkpekatt. “It appears to be the only Qella material to have left the system.”

“Then we do not know if these Eicroth bodies are typical of the species, or indicate an abnormal condition, or represent a variant of the species,” Eckels said. “With only a single example, no generalizations can be made.”

“Presumably not.”

Eckels closed his datapad. “Colonel, we have five additional Qella bodies in the specimen lab. They’ve all been fully scanned, but the scans haven’t yet been reviewed in detail—”

“Why not?” Taisden interrupted.

“We scan them as soon as we receive them because of the risk of sample deterioration,” Eckels said, turning toward the younger man. “Analysis is something we can do on the way home, or at the Institute.” He looked back at Pakkpekatt. “Colonel, we did not know about this secondary genetic material. If I could take this data back to the lab for a few hours, I may be able to answer that question, and perhaps some others as well.”

“That copy is for your use,” said Pakkpekatt, “assuming that you will accept one restriction.”

“Any reasonable one,” said Eckels. “This really must be looked at right away.”

“I ask only that the data not leave this vessel in any form, by any channel, until we better understand it. If what you hold there is in fact the key to stopping and controlling the vagabond—”

“I understand. An intact Qella vessel would be a treasure far too valuable to risk. This data will not leave my personal custody,” Eckels vowed. “I will do this work myself, under isolation protocols. Will that be satisfactory?”

“Entirely satisfactory,” said Pakkpekatt. “In the meantime, we will return to our vessel with the relay satellite and continue our preparations.”

“I’ll signal you when I have something,” said Eckels, waggling the datacards. “Can you find your way back to the skiff by yourselves? I want to get started immediately.”

“Of course.”

“Thank you. I’ll have First Officer Manazar meet you there with the relay satellite.”

As they waited for Manazar at the skiff, Taisden asked quietly, “When are you going to tell him about the general being onboard?”

“When I know that Calrissian is still onboard,” said Pakkpekatt. “By now even the most prudent rationing, the most severely restricted activity, will have exhausted their personal consumables. I have been wondering if that might be the explanation for the beckon call to Lady Luck—a last act of desperation by the last surviving member of Calrissian’s team, in the last hours of his life.”

The somber mood set by Pakkpekatt’s words stayed with them all the way back to Lady Luck, and cast a long