• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

Mirax sat with her back to one of the windows and let a slight smile play across her lips. “Which do you want first? The story of why I’m here on Coruscant, or how I managed to find you?”

Iella shrugged easily. “Which one will convince me you’re not an Imp?”

Wedge frowned. “Mirax is clean. I’ve known her all my life. She’s no Imp.”

“Convince me.”

Wedge started to say something, but Mirax cleared her voice. “I can handle this, Wedge, honest.” She smiled. “I appreciate the caution, especially here. I’ll start with the museum and work back only as far as needed, that way you won’t know more than you need to.”

Iella nodded. “Coruscant is a world that has billions of people on it. The chances of your being in the right place to spot someone you know are astronomical. Even luck or believing in the Force doesn’t begin to cover those odds,”

“Quite true, but I had a house edge on the wager.” Mirax jerked a thumb toward Wedge and Pash. “They’re snubfighter jockeys. Sooner or later they’d have to go to the Galactic Museum and check the display that talked about Endor. It’s ego and these pilots can breathe vacuum easier than they let slip a chance to see what lies the enemy is telling about them. Corellian pilots are notorious egotists, so staking out the museum seemed natural.”

Wedge arched an eyebrow at Mirax. “You think I’m egotistical?”

“Wedge, I love you like a brother, so it hurts me to say this, but you’re so egotistical you think you can keep your ego under control. Most of the time you do, which is your only saving grace. And the times you don’t, well, I’ve not been on the receiving end of a display, but I imagine there are some Imps who would regret that experience, if they were alive to think about it.”

Despite the slight sting of her words, Wedge knew there was more truth in them than he really wanted to acknowledge. In the second run at Borleias he’d let himself be outraged at the tactics the Imps thought would stop him from completing his mission. That was quite the display of ego and they paid a dear price for letting me indulge myself

He turned toward Iella. “Well, at least you can tell she knows me.”

“From that explanation I can tell she knows Corellian pilots. I had a partner who was a hot hand with an X-wing. If he ever joins the Rebellion, he’ll give you a run for your credits.” Iella looped a lock of brown hair back behind her right ear. “Since you didn’t run Commander Antilles in to Coruscant, you didn’t know he was here. That means you brought more pilots in and were figuring they’d visit the museum. Probably more from Rogue Squadron.”

Mirax inclined her head to the left. “You certainly could conclude that scenario is accurate.”

“Oh, I’m sure it is.” Iella sat down on the arm of the couch opposite Mirax. “Your presence means your exit identity was blown, which means the rest of the pilots could have been compromised somehow.”

Mirax looked up at Wedge. “Are you and I the only folks from Corellia who don’t sound like we were trained in deductive reasoning by CorSec?”

Iella patted Mirax on the knee. “I was trained in deductive reasoning by CorSec.”

“So you were part of CorSec?”

“Yes, why?”

Mirax sighed and held her hand out. “I’m Mirax Terrik.”

Iella’s hand stopped short of sliding into Mirax’s grip. “You’re Booster Terrik’s daughter?”

Mirax’s hand dropped back to her lap. “I bet you liked it better when you thought I was an Imp agent.”

“You’d lose the bet.” Iella kept her hand held out. “I’d just joined the force when Hal Horn put your father away. Booster was smart enough that I can believe his daughter was sharp enough to stake out the museum. And he was lucky enough that I can believe you succeeded in your long shot. I’m Iella Wessiri.”

Wedge waited for recognition to flash in Mirax’s eyes, but she shook Iella’s hand without any sign she recognized the name or knew of the woman. Perhaps Corran never spoke to her about his partner or never named her to Mirax.

Iella freed her hand from Mirax’s and sat back on the couch. “This all complicates things incredibly, but we’re on top of them right