Star Wars_ The New Rebellion - Kristine Kathryn Rusch [110]
There was a brief silence before his reply. “My name is Kueller. I’m sure you have not heard of me, but you have felt my presence.”
A shudder ran down her back. How had he known that?
“You felt it when I destroyed the people of Pydyr in a single moment, without using anything as crude as a Death Star or a Star Destroyer. I prefer elegant, simple weapons, don’t you?”
Leia jutted out her chin. She had to look regal and unafraid before this madman. “What do you want?” She used the same cold voice she had used on Meido.
Again, there was the pause. Then the death mask smiled at her. “Your attention, madam.” She had the sense that the mask was part of Kueller and not part of Kueller. It chilled her.
“You have that. For the moment.”
“Good.” Kueller’s face winked out. A ripple replaced it.
“Did we lose the transmission?” Wedge asked.
Admiral Ackbar shook his head. “No. He’s doing something else. It’s a function of the distance. Just like the moments of silence before his replies. It is taking time for this transmission to carry.”
“We have instant communication all over this galaxy,” the lieutenant said.
“Not all over,” Wedge said softly.
An image waved, then coalesced into a small form collapsed on the floor. A small building burned beside it, and in the distance some metal burned.
Leia squatted. The figure was Luke. His flight suit was off and in rags. His back looked like a mass of raw flesh. He wasn’t moving.
A wave of pain and anger hit her. She reeled backward, felt a bit of terror mixed with it, and through it all, she felt Luke.
Luke! she sent.
Leeee—
Luke’s mental voice was cut off, replaced by a deep, throaty laughter Leia had never heard before.
His image winked away. The ripply see-through wall reappeared. And then the skeletal face was back, the laughter dying on its lips.
“No mental games, President Organa Solo. Your brother lives. For now.”
“What have you done to him?” she asked.
The death’s head smiled. The image was so large she felt as if she could fall into the mouth and never come out. “I did nothing. His ship conveniently destroyed itself.”
“The X-wing,” Wedge whispered. Admiral Ackbar shushed him.
“I would have preferred that he land a bit closer to home, but he did not. Still, he’s on my property now, and on my property he will stay. Unless you do two things. First, you must disband your inefficient government. And second, you must turn power over to me.”
“Why would we do that?”
“Because I will kill your brother if you do not.”
Leia felt cold. Ice-cold. “You think I will trade millions of lives for one, no matter how much it means to me?”
“I know your heart, President. Your brother means as much to you as your husband. As your children. I could kill them now, if you like. Would that help you decide?”
Leia forced herself to swallow. She would not allow him to intimidate her with idle threats. But she had to be careful in case his threats weren’t idle. “You’re very far away to be making such threats, Kueller.”
The smile grew wider. “Are you testing me, President? Because I warn you, I do not bluff.”
“What do you really want?”
“I believe your government lost its effectiveness years ago. I want to return efficient rule to this galaxy.”
“And you’re the man to do so?” she asked.
The smile left the death’s head. “I am the person to do so, President. I have done so on my homeworld. I can do it anywhere else.”
“I’ve never heard of you,” Leia said. “How do I know you’re capable of such wisdom?”
“No one had heard of young Luke Skywalker before he rescued you from the Death Star. Or of the brash Han Solo before he joined Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. There were even planets that had not heard of you before the Rebellion, President. Sometimes reputations develop late.”
“What will you do if I refuse to turn the New Republic over to you?”
The smile returned. “I will kill your brother. And your husband. And your children.”
Leia put her hands behind her back. She used a Jedi calming method so that her emotions remained in check. She would feel terror and anger