Star Wars_ X-Wing 07_ Solo Command - Aaron Allston [65]
“Correct,” Wedge said. “It could have been an Imperial project, a criminal action, or an actual species-based conspiracy. But in trying to kill us under the same umbrella of this false conspiracy story, he’s shown his hand.”
“Which does us no good,” Donos said. “We’re not going to be able to convince the Provisional Council of this theory.”
“Why not?” Wedge looked challenged, rather than angry, at the statement.
“Who’s going to convince them of it? Ackbar? He trusted the Twi’lek who almost killed him. Mon Mothma? She’s injured, not capable of leadership at the moment. Princess Leia? Off on some diplomatic mission. Han Solo? He’d have to leave the fleet, and abandoning his task is not the way to make the Provisional Council confident in him. You?” Donos repressed a wince at the words he’d have to say. “You, sir, also trusted the Twi’lek who almost killed you.”
Wedge nodded. “Correct. But here’s the answer to your question. To convince the Provisional Council, we’re all going to become geniuses.”
“I vote we start with Elassar,” Lara said. “He has the farthest to go.”
The Devaronian pilot winced. “No more. I surrender.”
“What kind of geniuses?” asked Ven.
“Prophetic ones. The kind who can tell the Provisional Council just what’s going to happen next. What’s Zsinj’s next step? If we can predict it, we can convince the powers that be that they’re dealing with a methodical plan of Zsinj’s … not a conspiracy of terror against humankind.” He looked among them. “Otherwise, in six months, a year, the New Republic consists of humans on one side, nonhumans on the other, no possible trust or interdependence between them … and Zsinj can march in and take whatever he wants.”
“I have a thought.” That was Piggy. “A theory. About where I fit into Zsinj’s plan.”
“Go ahead.”
“We know for a certainty that Zsinj has for some time been trying to create very intelligent examples of humanoids not known for their intelligence,” Piggy said. “The question, especially as it relates to your other theory, is why?”
“Obviously,” Tycho said, “to have intelligent agents who could infiltrate those species, and therefore not look out of place in locations where those species are found.”
“Correct.” Piggy nodded in the exaggerated way of Gamorreans. “But that’s only part of the equation. What does a leader require in an agent in addition to intelligence? More important than intelligence?”
“Loyalty,” Lara said. Her voice seemed a little sad. Donos gave her a close look. She saw his sudden interest, shook her head to suggest that her momentary disquiet was nothing.
“Correct,” Piggy said. “Yet I am not loyal to Zsinj. I underwent no indoctrination from youth, nothing like the teaching the stormtroopers receive. Why not? Was I just a laboratory test specimen? Was I to be purged when tests on me were complete?”
Nawara Ven nodded. “Possibly so.”
“Yes. But consider. Zsinj would not have embarked on a process like the creation of me and the other hyperintelligent humanoids without making some provision for loyalty. What if he found a way to instill it by force rather than through training?”
“Like brainwashing.” Tycho’s voice was flat, hard. Donos noticed that the captain now sat absolutely still. Small wonder: Tycho had at one time been suspected of being a brainwashed agent of Ysanne Isard, the former head of Imperial Intelligence. “You think the assassins were brainwashed by this technique.”
“Yes,” Piggy said. “But we know we’re not facing brainwashing as we have experienced it before. The Twi’lek who attacked me and Admiral Ackbar might have been brainwashed, but he was missing only for a week—a possible, but very short—amount of time to do such a thing. From the time he joined Rogue Squadron, what was the longest time Tal’dira was out of sight of the other members? His longest leave?”
Tycho and Wedge conferred, and Tycho said, “About a day at a time.