Star Wars_ X-Wing 02_ Wedge's Gamble - Michael A. Stackpole [120]
Which means you will have to destroy me somewhere along the line, but that is not unexpected. Loor nodded. “I understand your offer and all it entails.”
“And?”
“And I accept it.”
“Excellent. I have already sent two Star Destroyers and several of the ground-based TIE wings off to prepare the way for what will be a mass exodus when the opposition arrives. I will disappear then.” Isard pressed her hands together. “To you I give the responsibility for Imperial Center, the Heart of the Empire. Ward your charge well and the glory that was Palpatine’s empire will once again shine forth to illuminate the galaxy.”
38
The location Tycho had found to serve as a hideaway surprised Wedge because it seemed quite unusual for Coruscant. Though he did not believe the room actually was beneath the surface of Coruscant itself, it had the sort of feel that made Wedge think of it as subterranean. The ceiling climbed up into a vault that had been finished to look as if it was part of a cavern, complete with stalactites hanging down. However, rust stains and lime scale added details that reminded him where he really was.
So did the moist trash midden in the heart of the room. It consisted largely of things slowly disintegrating to mush, but a few brightly colored plastic things spotted the corroded orange pile like mold. Nothing looked very useful and it all smelted rather bad, a fact that had Shiel feeling rather out of sorts. The moisture in the midden contributed to the room’s microclimate, evaporating and then condensing on the ceiling to drip back down again.
Gavin seemed to be the only person who didn’t mind being dripped upon. “On Tatooine I never even saw rain, much less got rained on.” For the others the dripping water seemed to make their moods more foul and none became quite as foul as Corran’s did when he saw Tycho.
Wedge had spotted Corran’s anger rising up through his surprise. He pulled the younger man aside and away from the others. “Do you want me to apologize for deceiving you, Corran?”
Corran’s green eyes flared. “You’re my commanding officer. You don’t need to explain yourself to me, sir.” The hurt in his voice was unmistakable, but so was the implacability in his eyes. “I’m glad to see Captain Celchu was not killed at Noquivzor.”
“Corran, I chose to keep Tycho’s presence here a secret to safeguard him and to give us a weapon the other side knew nothing about.”
“Wedge, I saw him talking with Kirtan Loor at the Headquarters.”
“Tycho said he was there meeting with a Duros gunrunner named Lai Nootka. He didn’t see you, but he wasn’t meeting any Imp agent, that’s for certain. Had he seen you and the trouble you were in, he would have helped.”
“I bet.”
Wedge grabbed Corran by the shoulders. “Look, he had instructions to contact you if something happened to me. You were going to be told, but only when it was necessary. It wasn’t necessary until now.”
Corran’s head came up. “When Zekka Thyne was dying he said Kirtan Loor knew we were on Coruscant before he pressed Thyne into his service. There’s a lying snake among us.”
“And you believe what he said?”
“Shouldn’t I?”
“Should you?” Wedge’s brown eyes narrowed. “Why do you think Thyne said that to you?”
Corran hesitated. “He wanted to hurt me, sure, but that doesn’t mean he was lying.”
“No, but it also doesn’t mean he was telling the truth, either. He reported what Loor told him.” Wedge frowned. “We’ve not seen Aril Nunb since the warehouse. It is entirely possible she was interrogated before Loor confronted Thyne. Loor bluffed and Thyne believed him.”
Corran slowly shook his head. “I worked with Loor for years and the one thing I never saw him do was bluff. The man’s got a memory retention rate that rivals Winter’s. Instead of letting a suspect guess at what he