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The Bothan’s eyes narrowed. “You allow for no slippage in his plan. What if he cannot bring it off in time?”

Ackbar’s jaw opened in a smile. “I have had a report which makes this plan viable in the event that Commander Antilles and his people fail to bring the shields down. You may recall that in recent months the Interdictor cruiser Black Asp ran afoul of Rogue Squadron? Their Captain, a woman named Uwlla Iillor, filed a protest over the transfer of her flight operations officer from her command. The protest was ignored and, apparently, was enough to prompt her and her staff to decide to defect. This gives us an Interdictor cruiser, something we have not had before.

“Depending upon the course we choose, the journey from Borleias to Coruscant will take approximately twenty standard hours. My intention is to send the Black Asp in early and have it jump to the outer edges of the Coruscant system. If the shields are not down, the Interdictor will power up the gravity well projectors and drag our invasion fleet from hyperspace prematurely. If the shields are down, Iillor will do nothing and allow us to revert from hyperspace right on top of Coruscant.”

Fey’lya slowly nodded. “Elegantly simple but decidedly effective. You clearly trust this Captain Iillor. You do not think her coming over is one of Ysanne Isard’s deceptions?”

“No. Captain Iillor cites interference by Imperial Intelligence with her command as the primary reason for her defection. General Cracken has cleared her and has his people working on her staff. Within a week the Black Asp will be operational with an Alliance crew.”

The Bothan nodded. “The ship will be renamed?”

“The crew has chosen a hopeful name: Corusca Rainbow.”

“An omen, to be sure.”

“That is my hope.” Ackbar gave Fey’lya a wall-eyed look. “You will propose this plan to Mon Mothma?”

“In both our names, yes.” Fey’lya smiled. “With her support and the two of us backing it, the Provisional Council cannot fail to make it operational.”

“Good.” The Mon Calamari nodded. “Then I just have to see that the operation does not fail.”

28

Kirtan Loor dropped to one knee before the holographic image of Ysanne Isard but did not bow his head. “Thank you for replying to my request so quickly, Madam Director.”

She arched an eyebrow at him. “Displays of ego and spirit always attract my attention, Agent Loor.”

“Good, then I can take it that you will be reprimanding General Derricote?”

“Why?”

Loor blinked, then narrowed his eyes. “Why? Madam Director, he took it upon himself to go into In visee and select subjects for his experimentation who were transported directly to his lab. He violated every known security procedure we have in doing that. The Sullustans he took were not properly screened so we do not know who they were. The other captives spoke of an Alien Combine and the Sullustans might have been able to supply more useful information on that organization.”

Isard dismissed his protest with a sneer. “I have told him you are to be allowed to interview his subjects.”

“Oh, yes, but he immediately injected them with the newest strain of his Krytos virus. The interviews would have to take place with my people in isolation suits, which means the subjects would know they were never getting out. Their motivation to cooperate would be gone. And if he’s right, if this strain has an incubation period of two weeks, the subjects would be well into dementia and death before analysis would let us conduct other interrogations.”

“That is not your concern at this moment, Agent Loor. General Derricote’s Krytos project is of paramount importance. This new strain could be the breakthrough we need to prepare Imperial Center for the Rebels.” Fire flared in her molten left eye. “That idiot Zsinj attacked the Rebels to salve his own wounded pride. He doesn’t realize that if they were to mobilize their entire fleet and devote it to hunting him down they’d have him inside a year. The fool thinks he is powerful, but he doesn’t realize all he has done is to force the Rebels to move more swiftly