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Isard’s eyes widened. “You can’t think me so capricious that I could rescind my offer because you’ve overestimated what you want to tell me, can you?” She waved away any reply before he’d even made an attempt to open his mouth. “My news is good enough to make me offer you something to drink. Give me your news, then you shall have mine and you can see if you want to drink with me.”

I knew one of us would be surprised here, but I didn’t expect it would be me. He nodded slowly. “As you will, Madam Director. Our main problem in dealing with Antilles and his people is that they are striking at us and running quickly because there is nothing to hold them back. They have no attachments to the systems they are hitting. We arrive, they launch proton torpedoes or concussion missiles, then they scatter like shrapnel from a proton mine.”

Isard nodded, her smile not having shrunk a millimeter. “This has been the course of things to this point. I trust you have found a way to change this.”

“Two aspects of it, yes.” Vorru lifted his chin. “My network of spies has begun to produce information. I have yet to find out what the location of Antilles’s base is. He and his people are being very cautious, but I have no doubt we will discover it in time. Until then I have uncovered two very important pieces of information: Where they are getting their munitions and, more to the point, where the next shipment will be placed in the hands of the Antilles group.”

“Really?”

The hint of falsetto in her voice didn’t escape Vorru, but he did not consider it important at the moment. “It is true, Madam Director. A woman working for Talon Karrde had previously been employed by Jabba the Hutt. Subsequent to his death she spent a couple of years in abject poverty on Tatooine. Karrde took her in and has helped her get back on her feet, but her taste for fine things has never been satisfied—nor has her ambition. Karrde appointed her to liaise with the Antilles people—Booster Terrik, in fact—an old friend from Kessel.”

“Fascinating. Karrde’s name is not unknown to me, though I would not have thought his organization of sufficient size to meet Antilles’s needs.”

“Carniss indicates Karrde’s operation is larger than anyone suspects. Karrde prefers to maintain a low profile to escape trouble with authorities. Booster Terrik placed a huge order for munitions and equipment, which Karrde is meeting in installments. Karrde’s people are shipping the supplies to a rendezvous point, then Terrik is taking them back to Antilles’s headquarters.”

Isard sat forward. “Does Carniss know where that is?”

“No, but I have been given the location of the rendezvous point. They will be making the transfer in the Alderaan system.”

“They probably draw some sort of ephemeral strength from visiting the site of Alderaan’s sacrifice.”

“Undoubtedly so, Madam Director. What is important is that Antilles will have his fighters and his freighters there. If we divert our warships to Alderaan we can ambush the Antilles group and destroy them.”

Isard’s eyes narrowed, but her smile did not die and this contradiction confused Vorru. “No, Minister Vorru, I’m not going to send all my ships in case this information is false. I don’t doubt you or your source, but Antilles might catch wind of our ambush and refuse to show up. He could even hit a bacta convoy and subject us to yet more ridicule. No, I won’t have that.”

She held up her right index finger. “I do know what I will do. I will send Convarion and the Corrupter. He’s ambushed them once and can do it again.”

Vorru shook his head. “But if you only send the Corrupter, Antilles and his people will scatter as usual. We will accomplish nothing.”

“No, Vorru, we will accomplish everything.” Isard laughed aloud, her voice full of triumph. “While you have woven a net of spies to catch Antilles, I have been searching for the means to kill him. I have found it, and in twelve hours it will be here and ready to join Convarion as he goes for the kill.”

Vorru frowned.