Star Wars_ The New Rebellion - Kristine Kathryn Rusch [113]
“How do we know he didn’t do some sort of sending, something that would have made you feel as though people died?” Admiral Ackbar said.
“We don’t,” Leia said. “But I can’t imagine anyone having that kind of talent.” She shuddered, the chill still numbing her heart.
“There are no reports of exploded planets,” the lieutenant said, “either now or just before the bombing of the Senate Hall.”
“Kueller said he used an elegant weapon,” Wedge said. He slipped back into his chair. “We’re looking for something too big. We need to know what planets haven’t been heard from lately or what unusual events have transpired in nearby space.”
“Lots of reports of midspace collisions in the landing area around Auyemesh,” Ackbar said.
“And no response from their space-traffic-control unit,” said Wedge, his voice rising with excitement.
“All attempts to contact others on the planet failing,” the lieutenant said.
“Where’s Auyemesh?” Leia asked.
“It’s a tiny planet in a far system,” Ackbar said. “It’s on the Coruscant side of the Almanian system.”
“The Almanian system?” Leia hated it when she was ignorant of the galaxy. She thought she knew every place. Was this the Almania Lando mentioned?
“I haven’t heard of it either,” Wedge said, “and I thought I’d been everywhere.”
“It’s beyond the Rim Worlds in distance,” Ackbar said. “The Old Republic was going to make Almania a member, but several senators fought it, saying the distance to the system was too great.”
“Great distance,” Leia whispered. “Admiral, you said that transmission came from a great distance.”
Ackbar nodded. “The Almanian system is far enough away to have that sort of effect. In fact, holo-coding would be the preferred method of communication from that distance because it covers the other obvious tells of a long-distance communication.”
“Because holo-coding is often slower than regular messaging,” Wedge said.
“Precisely. It takes an expert to recognize the differences between coding problems and distance problems.”
“All right,” Leia said. “That gives us some kind of lead.”
“President,” said the lieutenant, “I’ve been running the name Kueller through our database. I have nothing.”
“Keep trying,” Leia said.
“Try all files instead of simply current files,” Admiral Ackbar said.
“Leia,” Wedge’s voice was soft. “The computer identified the buildings around Luke. They’re Pydyrian.”
“Pydyrian?”
Wedge nodded. “That’s also in the Almanian system.”
“And Leia?” Admiral Ackbar said. “We just had it confirmed. The transmission came from Almania itself.”
“Almania,” she said. “What would anyone so far away want with us?”
“I think that’s obvious,” Wedge said. “The question is, how does this Kueller know you?”
“Perhaps you do know him,” Ackbar said. “Perhaps that’s why his face was hidden by the mask.”
“If it was hidden by the mask,” Leia said. She still wasn’t convinced. She was good with voices, and she didn’t recognize his. Holo-coding usually provided an accurate representation of everything, including the voice.
“We have something on Kueller,” the lieutenant said. “But you aren’t going to like it.”
“Tell me anyway,” Leia said.
“Kueller was an Almanian army general hundreds of years ago. He overtook Almania, and then the entire sector. In his later years, he was a beloved leader, known for his compassion and his decisiveness. But early on, when he was conquering, he was one of the most ruthless people in the history of the galaxy. He would do anything to consolidate power,” said the lieutenant.
“So this Kueller is someone else, invoking a historical namesake,” said Wedge.
“It fits with his intentions,” Ackbar said. “If he wants to take over the New Republic, he is letting us know he will do it as ruthlessly as he can. And then, he believes, he will be compassionate and decisive.”
“Decisive and ruthless go together,” Leia said, “but compassionate and ruthless do not. Is he tied to the Empire?”
“Not so far as I can tell at the moment,” the lieutenant said. “Almania is very far away. The Emperor basically ignored it.”
“But it would be a