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The Caamasi lifted his chin, exposing his throat. “Perhaps, Commander Shai, it is you I am shielding.”

“You care for him, and fear for him.” Shedao tapped an index finger against his battle mask’s chin. “Your loyalty is laudable, though to such a disreputable character? Impossible to understand. You are wiser than that.”

“Corran is not a stupid or dishonorable man, despite how you read what you see here.” Elegos gathered his hands at the small of his back. “None of the Jedi are stupid, nor are most of the leaders of the New Republic. You put too much weight on their ignorance of your ways, and you are swayed because of how little of them you understand.”

“But, Elegos, you have taught me well. I understand much about them.”

The Caamasi ventured a small smile. “And through my time with you, I have some understanding of your ways. I am even led to believe that some sort of accord could be reached. This war does not have to go on forever.”

“No, I would not want that.” Shedao Shai folded his arms across his chest. “If I were to open a dialogue, I would need an envoy I could trust implicitly. I have nonesuch among my people.”

Elegos’s eyes half shut. “I could be your ambassador.”

“Indeed, an excellent idea.” Shedao Shai nodded slowly, then turned and beckoned Elegos to follow him. “Come along. I will prepare you to deliver a message to these jeedai—a message they cannot possibly fail to understand.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Though there had been peace with the Imperial Remnant for over six years, Corran still felt a sense of dissonance as he watched Admiral Gilad Pellaeon enter the briefing room aboard the Ralroost. Admiral Kre’fey greeted him warmly, shaking his hand. The Imperial admiral acknowledged Master Skywalker with a nod, then turned and smiled at Corran.

“I had a chance to study your initial report from Garqi. Good work.”

Corran blinked, then nodded. “Jacen Solo prepared the report, I just corrected some spelling. I’ll pass your comments on to him.”

“Please do.” Pellaeon took a seat across from Corran at the lozenge-shaped briefing table. That left Admiral Kre’fey at the head, Master Skywalker at the Bothan’s right hand, and Corran on Luke’s right. “We have quite a situation here.”

Kre’fey seated himself. “We do, on several different levels. I cannot thank you enough for having intervened when you did. The intelligence assets you have in the New Republic are clearly very thorough.”

“Not as thorough as you might imagine.” The Imperial officer leaned forward on his elbows, pressing his hands flat against the table’s black top. “We can speak plainly, and will need to before the politicians arrive. I brought my force here after I heard of your abortive raid. My assumption was that either you had inserted assets onto the planet, or that a previous attempt to exfiltrate assets had been rebuffed. It suggested something of value on Garqi that I wanted to know about, so we had been there for two days by the time you arrived.”

“The data we recovered would have been yours immediately, regardless of what my superiors might have said.” Kre’fey scratched with claws at his throat. “And, yes, we must speak plainly because the politicians are going to complicate things incredibly.”

Corran sighed and slumped down in his seat a bit. The task force had leapt to the edge of the Garqi system, rendezvoused with the Imperial force, then had plotted a course directly for Ithor. Admiral Kre’fey issued a call for reinforcements, scientific teams, and a lot of support that raised alarm on Coruscant. While they did say they were sending what they could, a report also came in that Borsk Fey’lya and a number of the key senators and ministers would be coming to Ithor, as well. Once there, no one had any doubts, they would begin to interfere with what really needed to be a military operation.

“I harbor no illusions, Admiral Kre’fey: the moffs will be as opposed to my helping you defend Ithor as your leaders will be to having Imperial forces operating in the New Republic.” Pellaeon