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“Tarrick—she’s here,” she said quietly into her comlink. “We’ll be out in a minute or two. Set up the recording for replay. See if General Rieekan wants to come up.”

“I’m on it,” Tarrick said. “Admiral Ackbar is on his way over from Fleet.”

The distinctively tinny sound of Tarrick’s voice as heard through a comlink seemed to be what finally reached through Leia’s fatigue and demanded her attention. She sat up with a wordless cry, unfocused eyes, and balled fists.

“It’s all right. It’s only me, Alole,” the aide said, slipping the comlink back into her pocket. “Come—hurry. Nil Spaar is on Channel Eighty-one.”

Four of the six people at the conference table with Leia were seeing the viceroy’s announcement for the second time. Only one of them ventured to try to prepare her for what she would see.

“If this is an answer to Ourn’s message,” said Admiral Graf, “the message is that we’ve been worrying about the wrong thing. Han Solo is no longer important.”

“Let me hear it for myself,” Leia said, reaching for the controller.

The recording began with something they had not seen before—the emblem of the Duskhan League, a double circle of three-pointed stars on a scarlet background. Then Nil Spaar appeared.

This time, however, he had company. Standing beside him was a human wearing the black uniform of an Imperial Moff.

Graf leaned toward Leia. “Behind them—that’s the bridge of a Super-class Star Destroyer.”

She silenced him with a dismissive wave of her hand.

“I address the strong, proud leaders of the vassal worlds of the New Republic,” the viceroy began. “I bring you an announcement, and a warning.

“As I speak, the enormous battle fleet under the command of Princess Leia continues its reckless invasion of Koornacht Cluster—territory that has belonged to the Yevethan people for more than ten thousand years.

“Up until this moment, we have shown great restraint, despite having been attacked in our own home. Against the urging of my military commanders, I have held our own powerful fleet in reserve except where the lives of civilians are in danger. I have done all I can to minimize casualties on both sides. I have given Princess Leia every opportunity to change her course and withdraw her forces.

“I am saddened that she has chosen instead to reinforce them. In recent weeks, she has rejected the wisdom of her advisors and secretly dispatched hundreds more warships to threaten the worlds of the Duskhan League.

“I am saddened, but not surprised. This woman sabotaged a promising negotiation between my people and the New Republic, because peace did not suit her ambitions. She sat across from me and lied about her intentions—and while she lied, her agents spied on us, looking for weakness, planning a war of conquest.

“I know that the good citizens of the New Republic are even now trying to drive this deceiver from your capital. But she has bought many friends on Coruscant, and others have reason to fear her. It will be a bruising fight, though I hope that honor will ultimately prevail.”

“Here comes the good part,” Graf whispered to Ackbar.

“But the Yevethan people can no longer await the outcome,” said Nil Spaar. “We can no longer risk our future on the hope that Princess Leia will find her conscience and leave us in peace. We must protect ourselves. By refusing our offer of friendship, by threatening our very existence, Leia has forced us to seek friends where we otherwise would not have.”

Nil Spaar raised a hand in the direction of the man beside him. “We have invited the Empire to return to Koornacht Cluster as allies—”

“That’s—that’s completely unbelievable,” Leia sputtered. “They despise the Empire.”

“—I have come to you to announce that the Duskhan League and the Grand Imperial Union have concluded a treaty of mutual assistance. Moff Tragg Brathis is commander of the battle fleet now stationed here.”

The uniformed man nodded, Nil Spaar paused, and the holo tracked to the right until the view forward out the bridge viewports confirmed that the vessel was