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A string of freighters entered the system, led by a ship tagged Starry Ice by the IFF system. A half-dozen ships drifted in behind Ice, staggering their positions so strafing runs along any one particular vector would pick up only two targets. Because Karrde’s ships were bigger than most of the freighters Booster had collected, the smuggler only needed half as many to deliver his goods.

A man’s voice broke in on the comm channel. “This is Quelev Tapper for Karrde. We’ve gotten the initial payment for this lot and you’ve got fifty million credits still in your account. In another month we should have another thirty percent of your order ready.”

Booster responded to him over the comm channel. “Fine with us. Begin the transfer.”

One of the freighters began to move forward, but as it cruised in right below the Ice, a huge patch of space went from black and star-strewn to white, angular, and deadly. The Interdictor Cruiser’s bulk eclipsed a massive slice of the Graveyard. The sight of its quartet of domed gravity well projectors caused Wedge’s stomach to fold in on itself. The cruiser will stop us from running into hyperspace, but it’s far too weak to engage us by itself. It’s going to be carrying a dozen TIEs at best, and the freighters can maneuver out of the effective range of its guns. Going after two squadrons of snubfighters, half of us with proton torpedoes, means this cruiser has gotten itself into a fight it really can’t win.

Before Wedge could begin to issue orders, two things happened. The first, the lighting-up of a red warning light on his console, was something he expected. It told him that the Interdictor Cruiser had powered up the gravity well projectors and that none of the ships in the system could jump to hyperspace to escape. Not a wise move to trap us here.

The second thing squeezed an icy fist around his heart. One third larger than the Interdictor Cruiser, the Corrupter appeared to interpose its bulk between the cruiser Aggregator and the snubfighters. Its turbolaser batteries and ion cannons immediately began spraying green-and-blue energy bolts out toward the waiting freighters. Wedge knew instantly the barrage was untargeted, meant more to inspire panic than do damage.

As TIE fighters started pouring from the Destroyer’s belly, Wedge immediately started snapping orders to his people. “Booster, scatter freighters. Move! Tal’dira, give me a flight to orient on me and another to orient on Tycho. Use the others to vape those TIEs, but don’t close with Corrupter. Rogues, slave your torpedo targeting to my signal. Transmitting now. Tycho, I go first, then you follow.”

“I copy, Wedge.”

Wedge’s droid, Mynock, shrieked furiously as Wedge punched the throttle forward and drove straight at the Victory II-class Star Destroyer. “Shut up, Mynock. Distract me with your screaming, and we’ll both end up dead!” The droid fell silent, and Wedge promised himself that if he survived the run, he would get the droid’s memory wiped and rename it something suitably heroic.

Though the droid lacked courage, his assessment of the current situation was dead on. And worth screaming about. The Destroyer and cruiser carried, between them, three squadrons of TIEs. Wedge’s confidence in his people knew no limits, but the Rogues were standing off to shoot their proton torpedoes, which left the Twi’leks to fight against the TIEs. The chances that some TIEs would get through to harass the freighters were overwhelming.

The TIE threat was the least of the problems they faced in the system. The only way to counter the Corrupter’s threat was for the X-wings to hit it with a spread of proton torpedoes. The squadron, firing double shots, could pump out twenty-two proton torpedoes. If they hit—and missing a nearly kilometer-long ship was tough—they could blow through the shields and do some damage. Wedge would fly in close to target the ship for the first volley, then have Tycho follow up for a second, hopefully catching the Corrupter without shields in place. If the second spread hits the