Star Wars_ The New Jedi Order 04_ Agents of Chaos 01_ Hero's Trial - James Luceno [120]
“Why, it’s no wonder sentients wage war on one another,” he said aloud as he hurried out the door after R2-D2.
TWENTY-NINE
Harrar rued the day he had been sent to Obroa-skai. Still recovering from the pummeling Yuuzhan Vong warships had inflicted weeks earlier, the planet sat framed in the command center hull transparency of the priest’s black jewel of a ship, enshrouded by gray clouds, as if too traumatized to so much as rotate. Harrar was constrained to suffer the view while he sought to offer explanation for the probable failure of his and Nom Anor’s plan.
“At this point, Excellency, we do not know for certain whether Elan and Vergere are in captivity or missing in action.”
“Or dead,” Commander Tla said from behind him.
Harrar was left to wonder how accurately his dedicated villip rendered his pained grimace for those at the receiving end of the communiqué—namely the high priest Jakan, father of Elan, chief of their domain, and adviser to Supreme Overlord Shimrra; Nas Choka, supreme commander of the flagship of the Yuuzhan Vong fleet; and Prefect Drathul, administrator of the worldship Harla. Consciousness-linked villips of the three rested in outsize eggcuplike holders positioned between Harrar and the view he found so abhorrent. It was Jakan who responded to Tla’s utterance.
“Why do you include death in Harrar’s list of possible outcomes, Commander?” While spectacular to behold, the villip scarcely did justice to the high priest’s fully reshaped and transfigured visage, with its nub of nose and deeply set eyes.
Tla turned to one of the transmitting villips. “Despite our firing on it, the New Republic ship carrying Elan and Vergere was racing toward our vessel, clearly intent on returning the priestess. The infidels in command must have divined that we had restrained the shuttle, and as well that Elan had exterminated the crew. At the last moment before it altered course and fled, the ship jettisoned an escape pod, but Nom Anor failed to retrieve it.”
Nom Anor worked his jaw but offered no apology.
“Then you did attempt to retrieve it?” Jakan asked.
“I did, Excellency,” Nom Anor allowed.
“Even in the knowledge that by doing so you would have doomed Harrar’s plan to failure?”
Nom Anor glanced briefly at the priest, then nodded.
Supreme Commander Choka’s villip spoke, summoning Commander Tla and his scrawny tactician forward. Choka’s facial tattoos lent him gravity; his trace of mustache and merest wisp of beard, a noble demeanor.
“As I understand it, Commander, your part in this was to arrange for New Republic victories, to ensure that Elan was well appraised.” Choka’s decurved eyes—above large bluish sacs—fell on the tactician. “But at what expense to us?”
“It was a costly enterprise, Supreme Commander,” Tactician Raff began. “Many coralskippers were sacrificed, and several small warships were destroyed. Were our resources replete, the losses would be insignificant. But Belkadan and Sernpidal are overtaxed and resupply has slowed. To continue to guarantee adequate defense for the fleet, we will need to cannibalize some of our larger ships to reinforce the coralskipper battle groups, or divert from the invasion corridor and replenish by preparing new worlds for yorik coral production.”
Raff gestured to Nom Anor. “Executor Nom Anor has assured us that we will receive a warm reception in a nearby sector known as Hutt space, as the reigning species—the Hutts—have no wish to engage us in warfare.”
“Nom Anor assures,” Choka said contemptuously. “Continue, tactician.”
The tactician inclined his head. “Lastly, the New Republic military has deployed its fleets to protect the Core, or perhaps in the aim of mounting a counteroffense.