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Corran smiled slowly. “Which is why General Airen Cracken showed up two days ago. The New Republic is going to hunt for the prisoners, then?”

“That would be my guess. They couldn’t do it before because they only had your word to go on—my identifications were spotty and old. Since you chose to resign from Rogue Squadron and started all this, they had to disassociate themselves with our effort. Now they have solid evidence, which changes everything.”

“Great, they can race us in finding them.”

“Ah, there you are, Corran.” Ooryl filled the entryway. “I thought I could find you here.”

What? Corran stared at the Gand. “Ooryl?”

“Did Ooryl say that right?” The Gand’s mouthparts snapped open and shut excitedly. “Ooryl wanted you to be the first to hear.”

Corran looked over at Tycho, but the Alderaanian just shrugged. “Yes, Ooryl, you said that correctly, but I thought Gands didn’t use personal pronouns unless …”

The Gand’s fist clicked off his chest. “I am janwuine. The ruetsavii, they have declared me janwuine. They have returned to Gand to tell Ooryl’s, ah, my story. What we did here, Ooryl’s part in the taking of Coruscant, and the battles against Iceheart, these will become known to all the Gand. If Ooryl says ‘I,’ they will know to whom I refer.”

“That’s great, Ooryl.” Tycho extended his hand to the Gand. “The Gands have every right to be proud of you.”

Ooryl shook Tycho’s hand, then Corran’s as well. “There is more. Each of you have been declared hinwuine. This means that when you come to Gand for Ooryl’s janwuine-jika, you may speak of yourselves with personal pronouns and will not be thought vulgar or rude.”

Corran’s eyes narrowed. “You mean to tell me that the whole time you’ve been here in the squadron you felt the way we talked made us vulgar or rude?”

The Gand shook his head. “Ooryl never assumes vulgarity when ignorance suffices as an explanation.”

“Thanks, I think.”

Tycho shot him a sly smile. “That should be ‘Corran thinks.’ ”

“But not often,” Ooryl added.

“Corran thinks Ooryl should practice using personal pronouns more regularly before he tries comedy.” Corran opened his arms wide. “Not much better than the shack we shared on Talasea, is it, Ooryl?”

“The mineral deposits do add some color, but Ooryl, er, I would not like to live here.” The Gand held a hand up. “I would explore this place with you more, later, for the story of your time here will be vital to my janwuine-jika, but there are other things we must do right now. Captain Celchu, Commander Antilles asked Ooryl to tell you he is waiting for you in the Lusankya’s staff officers’ mess.”

“Last minute things before his party?”

“Ooryl, I mean I, believes this is the case, Captain. And Corran, General Cracken has asked to speak with you.”

I wonder what that’s about? “Where do I find him?”

“Ooryl will take you there.”

The trio of pilots carefully picked their way out of the cavern complex and took the turbolift up. Tycho exited first while the Gand and Corran continued on, climbing higher and higher in the Lusankya’s superstructure. When the turbolift stopped, Corran found Airen Cracken waiting for him outside the door to the Captain’s ready-room.

He nodded at the Gand as the turbolift’s door closed behind him, then turned to the older man. “What can I do for you, sir?”

Cracken raked fingers back through reddish hair tinged with white. “I need you to talk some sense to Booster Terrik.”

Corran immediately raised his hands. “Got a Death Star you want killed instead?”

“Close.” Cracken shook his head. “Booster wants to keep the Virulence.”

“And you want him to give it to the New Republic?” Corran laughed aloud. “He won’t listen to me.”

“Mirax suggested I get you up here.”

“Okay, you have me, but I don’t know what I can do.”

“Back me up, or we’re going to have Booster Terrik in command of a fully operational Impstar deuce.” Cracken sighed. “Terrik was never as bad as some of the smugglers out there, but now he’s hooked up with Talon Karrde and …”

“Booster and Karrde are together? Allied? I mean, I knew