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Lando sighed. “The Yuuzhan Vong returned a week and a half after you left. They took up a position near the asteroid belt and watched us. Every so often a squadron of their coralskippers descends and hits a particular location. We fight back, of course, and get some of them, but less and less with each strike. It feels like they’re using us to cull the weak and stupid from their ranks, leaving only the best and smartest and bravest behind to fight again.”

He slammed his right fist into his left palm. “I don’t like their attacking us, but I like even less being mocked.”

Elegos appeared beside Leia. “Administrator Calrissian, what you see as mocking you could be a healthy respect for your defenses here. Your people did stop an earlier assault.”

Lando nodded grimly. “We did, but these Yuuzhan Vong fight differently. It was the difference between dealing with crack Imperial troops and some local Imp-wanna-be militia. These fighters are much better and, yes, more cautious, but they’re just putting the polish on the force pike before they drive it into our guts.”

Leia put a hand on Lando’s shoulder. “They didn’t harry us as we came in.”

“They don’t. They pick off a few of the outbound ships, but mostly let them run, too. At least, they do now. I think they expected a New Republic response by now.” Lando gave Leia a sidelong glance. “You’ve got nothing from Coruscant to offer us, right?”

She jerked a thumb toward Elegos. “Meet Senator Elegos A’Kla. He’s here on an official fact-finding mission.”

“Better find your facts fast, Senator, before the Yuuzhan Vong melt them down with plasma blasts.”

Leia shivered. In all the time she’d spent with Lando, even when Darth Vader had usurped his command of Bespin, she’d never heard him so frustrated. She was willing to put part of it down to his not wanting to have to start over yet again, but she knew that was only a tiny piece of what was going on inside him. Lando always looks for ways to work around the system, whatever system that is, but with so little data on the Yuuzhan Vong, he can’t find an opening to defeat them.

Leia glanced around at the other spaceport towers. “Things look pretty empty. Everyone fleeing?”

“Those who can, have.” Lando shook his head impotently. “I had guards come up on the causeway here because your arrival will draw a lot of folks who want to get away.”

“How are your defenses holding up?” Elegos craned his neck and looked around. “I don’t see much in the way of turbolaser batteries or concussion missile launchers.”

Lando’s face brightened a little. “Nor will you. The Yuuzhan Vong hit the fixed sites pretty early on. Everything else is mobile and in hiding. When they come in we try to harass them with fighters and steer them into areas where our mobile guns can engage them. They’re learning, so they’re making it tough, but we can shuffle things when they’re not looking down on us and set up new ambushes.”

“That’s good as a stall tactic, but it won’t win a war against them.” Leia’s eyes narrowed. “We can do better.”

“Really? That mean you have a spare Death Star lurking around that will pulverize the asteroid belt and their command ship?”

“Command ship?” Elegos’s head came up. “You’ve seen a big ship from them?”

“Yes, lurking near the asteroid belt.” Lando waved them on to follow him. “Come on down to my central defense facility. I can show you as much holo on that ship as you want. We did make an attempt at taking it out, but our fighters never got close enough.”

Leia dropped into step with Lando, leaving Elegos to trail behind them and Bolpuhr leaping ahead to lead the way. “It’s got to have a weakness. We can find it and exploit it.”

“I hope so.”

“We will, Lando. We must.” Leia sighed. “It’s the only chance Dubrillion has.”

Jaina pulled a comlink from the bulkhead recharger station on the Fond Memory. She handed another to Danni. “My mother has headed off with Lando. We can explore a bit, if you want, stretch our legs.”

The blond woman