Star Wars_ The New Jedi Order 21_ The Unifying Force - James Luceno [90]
The frenzied motion of the insects mirrored the swirling of Nas Choka’s thoughts.
“Shimrra is deranged,” the female seer said. “Smiling as if bequeathed more than his usual knowledge of events.”
Nas Choka looked at his blood-smeared subordinate. “You are safe herein, seer, but were I you, I would exercise caution about what words fly from my mouth. Shimrra has ears throughout the Citadel, and in more places than you can imagine. And who, seer, would you bid go to staffs with one of the Supreme Overlord’s newly enhanced warriors should you be challenged?”
The seer bowed at the waist. “Your forgiveness, Warmaster.”
“There is no swaying Shimrra. What matters now is that we do not fail him.” Nas Choka turned to face his cardinal subalterns. “None of you need fear expressing your opinions here. But take care elsewhere—both on and distant from Yuuzhan’tar.” He returned his attention to the blaze bug display. “The enemy fleet remains, augmented now by ships from star systems far removed from the war.”
The tactician, attired in high turban and long cloak, nodded. “As I feared, they are allying against us. We were wrong to move quickly in the Remnant and in the Koornacht Cluster. We might well have been able to make use of the so-called Imperials and the barbaric Yevetha. We might have at least led them by their noses long enough to consider that there was greater profit in allying with us.”
Nas Choka snorted in agreement. “Had I to do it over again, I might even have kept the Hutts on our side.”
“They have themselves to blame,” the tactician said. “Their offer of support was tendered only as a means of positioning themselves safely between us and the enemy. That they underestimated us is reason enough not to extend them any honor.”
Nas Choka nodded. “Their species is arrogant. Sooner or later they would have attempted to betray us, and it would have come down to contest. Nothing would be different now.”
“Except perhaps that Nas Choka wouldn’t have been escalated to warmaster,” the seer said.
“Another instance of escalation by default,” Nas Choka said harshly. “Tsavong Lah became too fixed on the Jeedai. He made the war personal. He displayed pride in having a vua’sa grown, merely so that he could slay it and claim one of its legs as his own. His insolence was his undoing. It blinded him to the truth. The Jeedai are a nuisance, but they are hardly the secret weapon we first thought them to be. As their numbers dwindle, so apparently does their ability to call on the Force.” He laughed shortly. “Tsavong Lah would have directed the armada against a handful of upstarts with magic swords. It would be frankly laughable were it not so tragic.”
Again the warmaster scrutinized the blaze bug display. “It intrigues me that they remain at Mon Calamari. By installing yammosks at Toong’l and Caluula, we have made clear as rainwater our intent to assault Mon Calamari. Sovv, Kre’fey, and the rest of the Alliance commanders must be blind not to see what is coming. But obviously I misconstrue them. My purpose was to persuade them to disband their battle groups, and thus subvert the possibility of a final battle of this nature, for I suspected that Shimrra was pursuing such thinking. And yet the enemy does nothing to suggest that they received our message. Either they have misconstrued me, or they have devised a way to counter us.”
“Even so, Warmaster,” the tactician said, “it makes little sense for them to make a stand at Mon Calamari. They are vastly outnumbered, and it is unlikely they would wish to visit destruction on the world they have chosen as their new capital.”
Nas Choka considered it. “Yes, I fear that, in the end, they will scatter.”
The tactician was puzzled. “Was that not your original wish, Warmaster?”
“To have them disband without our having to travel clear