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“They’ve got their beachhead,” Luke echoed her thoughts, “but that’s the low ground. We’re still holding the height.”

“Which makes sense,” Mara pointed out, “only if they think they’ve got an even better vantage.”

“If they’ve got more ships coming in.”

“Exactly.”

“Leia’d better hurry.” His words, her thoughts. “Maybe Hamner will get us reinforcements here in time.”

“Luke,” she muttered, “with Fey’lya in charge, it could take another week.”

On her heads-up display, one dark-blue blip slowly shrank in the distance. It had been one of Leia’s freighters, loaded with refugees. Her scanners showed six breaches along its port side. It spun slowly as atmosphere and debris vented into space.

Leia would need the Duros’ full support, the moment she got her other evac ships loaded, and before the Yuuzhan Vong’s second force arrived. Before their groundside force figured out what Leia was up to, and smashed the last evac ships.

Mara wondered if she could talk sense into Admiral Darez Wuht. If she didn’t feel any duplicity in him, she could tell him—quietly, without tipping off the traitors!—that he had reinforcements on the way.

If she docked the Shadow, though, she ran the risk that some bantha-brained idiot would power it down.

In the distance, Anakin picked off a second coralskipper as the convoy accelerated toward hyperspace.

“X-wing, stand down,” Mara’s comm unit growled.

She slapped it off.

Luke came alongside her, setting a slow arc toward Bburru. “CorDuro and the Peace Brigade have Wuht in a tight spot.”

“Wuht can’t honestly believe they only want the planet, can he? Either he’s a traitor, too, or … well, somebody’s got to get that stand-down canceled. I’ll try, on Jaina’s behalf. She said he’d shown her some sympathy. But I don’t want to get marooned.”

“I could dock in your hold again.”

“Then stay aboard, in-dock?” Mara asked. “Take off if you have to, come back to fly cover for me if you can?”

“I don’t like that much, either.” But they had to do something.

“I’ll talk to him,” she decided. “If they feel threatened by Jedi, you’re the ultimate threat. But I’ll tell him not to give up. That reinforcements are coming.”

“We haven’t heard back from Hamner.”

“So we don’t know if he’s been turned down,” she pointed out.

She vectored away from Bburru, putting the widest possible angle between any hostile eyes and her Shadow. They didn’t know she could carry an X-wing, and she wanted to keep that little secret.

Luke tight-docked the fighter, off-loaded R2-D2, then made his way to the triangular cockpit. By then, she had Bburru on visual.

“Port Duggan,” she transmitted, “request permission to dock.”

“Any further discussion?” Borsk Fey’lya’s violet eyes shone vindictively. No one else at the table spoke. “Your vote, then.”

Kenth Hamner remained at attention, but he had less hope than ever. Senator Shesh of Kuat had spoken persuasively, regretfully, citing excellent reasons not to pull a single fighter off any of the other shipyard systems. Councilor Pwoe of Mon Calamari reminded the council that others, notably the Hutt Randa Besadii Diori, had recently called in false alerts from Duro.

As he feared, the vote went against him.

He kept his shoulders at a dignified brace. “I will notify Master Skywalker,” he said, “but you’d better remember this day, all of you. If Coruscant falls to Yuuzhan Vong forces based on Duro, you will regret this decision.”

He pivoted on one heel and left the chamber.

“This way,” Jacen shouted.

“Get to the admin building,” Leia called behind him.

He shouted back over his shoulder, “No! Dad’s got a tunnel started.”

Jaina pounded along beside him. Evening had fallen, but the overhead lamps stayed on—probably an emergency measure. Leia followed with Olmahk and several others, up a lane in the deserted Tayana district. As they approached the tallest ruin, Jacen glanced back. Dark figures swarmed in through the main gate.

“This way.” Jacen led to the far side of the rubble pile.

Inside the tumbledown building, Droma’s furry, mustachioed face peered out, his blue and red cap still