Star Wars_ X-Wing 05_ Wraith Squadron - Aaron Allston [76]
“Third, we have brought you some replacement equipment and supplies. Including gear, suited to commandos, from Special Forces and Intelligence.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Do we have a replacement X-wing, sir?”
“No, not yet. None to spare, but you’re at the top of the replacement list. The Borleias will deliver to you one of the X-wing simulators and backups of all your astromechs’ memories. We also have food, fuel, X-wing replacement parts, and a piloting and maintenance crew for this corvette so you can free up your own pilots. Have your supply officer transmit requisitions for further items.”
Wedge nodded. “I know we’ve needed some vacuum-rated tools. I’ll have Squeaky get on that.”
“Not Squeaky the 3PO unit? Of the Runaway Droid Ride?”
Wedge nodded.
Ackbar shuddered, then returned to his list and continued. “Fourth, your plan for retaining Night Caller and continuing on with its orders—that has neither been approved nor disapproved. I must know, what end do you hope to serve?”
“After some additional thinking, sir, my plan is to let Night Caller go through her assigned duties, but in those systems that are obviously in collusion with Zsinj, Wraith Squadron jumps in shortly afterward and makes strikes against the collaborators. Eventually Zsinj or Trigit should get the idea that somebody is following Night Caller around. My hope is that we can lure Zsinj out that way—have him arrange a trap for us and trap him in it instead.”
“How appropriately vague.” Ackbar considered. “For the time being, consider your plan approved. But how long do you think you can keep up this deception?”
“Quite a while, sir. The fact that Warlord Zsinj obviously had some special, unrecorded instructions for Captain Darillian is a problem; it may trip us up. But we’re going to try to compensate with a trick or two of our own. For instance … Flight Officer Ackbar, is the demonstration ready?”
“Standing by, sir.”
“Orient it toward us instead of the captain’s chair and initiate.”
Jesmin went through a series of control manipulations. Then the air hummed as a hologram appeared before Admiral Ackbar and Wedge.
The hologram showed a man in a control chair, his uniform black and nattily spotless, his manner energetic and haughty. He looked up as if startled and said, “Who in the hells of the Sith are you?”
Ackbar glanced at Wedge, who gave him no cue to go by. “I am Admiral Ackbar of the New Republic. Identify yourself.”
“I am Captain Darillian, master of the private yacht Night Caller. I demand to know why you have interrupted me.” The captain glared at the Mon Calamari officer; his anger was so palpable that if holograms had been able to project energy Ackbar would have been struck dead by lasers.
Ackbar turned back to the commander. “I thought you said he was dead.”
Before Wedge could speak, Captain Darillian roared an interruption: “Dead! I’ll show you dead! Ensign Antilles, kill this intruder.”
Wedge barked a laugh. “Ensign Antilles, now? I’m all over the rank chart today. That’ll be enough, Face.”
Captain Darillian smiled. He reached to his right farther than the sensor on him could track and his hand disappeared. He must have manipulated something, for his image wavered … and became that of Face Loran. “Yub, yub, Commander.” Then he disappeared.
Ackbar turned both eyes toward Wedge. “A holographic overlay of some sort.”
Wedge nodded. “That’s right. Captain Darillian was such a massive egotist that he kept his ship’s journal and personal journal in full holo. That gave Grinder Thri’ag a huge sample that he could encode. He compiled a computer model of Darillian’s body from the waist up, and his voice into an overlay, both of which we can project over Face. We have near-instantaneous translation of sight and sound. As long as we don’t have to let anyone meet Darillian in person, and as long