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There was no answer. Tomer shrugged, an “I told you so” expression.

Wedge smiled at him. “Repeat after me. ‘En-Are-Eye-One to Allegiance. Over.’ ”

Tomer looked at him, expressionless, his one open eye flickering as if reading through a list of hints to find the one that would get him out of this situation. Finally he said, “En-Are-Eye-One to Allegiance. Over.”

“Allegiance to En-Are-Eye-One, we read you.”

Wedge just stared.

“I rescind the order concerning communications from the ground. You are authorized to respond to transmissions from Adumar.”

“Rescind the comm blackout as well,” Wedge said.

Tomer sighed. “Likewise, I rescind Allegiance’s hypercomm restrictions.” He covered the microphone with his hand. “Is that all? Or should I have them send down a meal?”

“That’s all.”

Tomer removed his hand. “Acknowledge, please.”

The distant comm officer said, “Allegiance acknowledges. Captain Salaban would like to talk to you.”

Wedge took the comlink from Tomer’s hand and gave it to Tycho. “Colonel Celchu, do me a favor and arrange for this prisoner to be transported to Allegiance. Inform the Allegiance of our situation and have Salaban stand by to communicate by hypercomm with the Fleet Command and General Cracken. Then give those two parties a quick report.”

“Will do. What are you up to?”

“I’m going for a walk.” Wedge gestured all around. “I’m sick of this place.” He gave Tomer one last look. “You should have taken your chances with Adumari justice.”

Tomer just stared, impassive.

On the palace steps, Wedge found Admiral Rogriss being escorted between two Halbegardian guards. Sniper fire from the near balconies was all but over.

Wedge dismissed the guards and gave the older man a salute. “Admiral. Good to see you. How are you?”

Rogriss gave him a slow shake of the head. “How can anyone be when his career has just been vaporized?”

“Meaning that Agonizer has left system without sending its holocomm message.”

Rogriss nodded. “The holocomm is shut down and sealed tight. It can only be opened by my voice … or by the security codes of a superior officer. Which it won’t reach for another three days or so.”

“Will that matter? I mean, Imperial Intelligence could have a team on-planet, with its own holocomm unit …”

Rogriss shook his head. “Intelligence does have a team here. Good luck finding them; I won’t tell you how. But they don’t have a holocomm. You have the time you wanted … at the expense of my career.”

Wedge offered his hand. “For what it’s worth, you have my respect.”

Rogriss took it. “You’ll still get word to my children?”

“Yes.”

“Even if General Phennir shoots you down when the Imperial forces return?”

“So he did survive … Yes, even then. First thing, I’ll put together some orders concerning you that will be carried out in case of my death.”

“And even if I don’t come over to the New Republic?”

“Where would you go instead?”

Rogriss looked around. “I’ve spent considerable time lately planning how I was going to exploit the Adumari military weaknesses. Perhaps I can now show the Adumari where those weaknesses are, how to put armor over them. Perhaps they’d offer me a position here where I could do so.”

“I imagine they would. Either way, I’ll arrange to get word to your children.”

“Thank you.”

14

Wedge stood at the edge of the magcon field separating the atmosphere of Allegiance’s main starfighter bay from the vacuum of space beyond. Below, he could see Mon Casima, the Mon Calamari cruiser now assigned to the Adumar operation, less than two kilometers below. Other New Republic ships were out there, not visible to him but on-station—frigates, corvettes, aging cruisers that had once served the Empire or even the old Republic before it, as big a fleet as the New Republic could spare and assemble on such short notice. Not even Lusankya, the flagship—and sometimes only ship—of the task force Wedge normally commanded, would be present; in his absence, it had been dispatched on other duties.

The air was cold, as was common with starfighter