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"I'm glad you're on our team."

Lowie groaned as the terminal rejected his request for access to the secure systems on the administrative level for the third time. Jaina bit her lower lip and tried to apply some creative thinking.

"I sure wish we knew what Czethros was up to right now," she said.

Lowie shrugged and pounded a hairy fist against the terminal in frustration.

"Master Lowbacca, if I might be so bold...?" Em Teedee piped up.

"Perhaps my circuits can be applied to overcome some of Kessel's security routines?"

"It couldn't hurt," Jaina said.

Lowie popped open Em Teedee's casing, pulled out a few leads, and connected them to the terminal's input port. Em Teedee proceeded to

"Hmmm" and "Aha" for a few minutes, then said, "Oh, yes! Most gratifying.

Even better than I might have hoped."

A moment later, the image on the terminal screen split itself into five parts, with four small "windows" across the top and one large image taking up the lower two-thirds of the screen. To both Jaina and Lowie's surprise, each of the smaller images began changing rapidly, showing a different scene: the main cargo bay, various mining tunnels, the packaging chamber and conveyor belts, assorted refresher units.

Suddenly Lowie howled in triumph.

"Go back, go back!" Jaina said. In front of them appeared the image of the silver-visored Czethros seated in Nien Nunb's own administrative offices. He was speaking to his henchmen, who were gathered around him.

"Can we get sound?" Jaina asked, her teeth chattering. Within seconds, the invasion leader's gruff voice came from the terminal speaker.

"Now that we've consolidated our position on Kessel, we need to reconfigure the main transmitter. When that is finished, we send our signal. And then nothing will be able to stop us. That signal will launch a thousand different takeovers in key industries and businesses across the galaxy. Everything perfectly timed. My army may not be large, but I have the right people in the right places. Once they take control, my network will be too powerful for even the New Republic to fight against.

"Only I could have brought this about." He smiled around at his confederates. "And you, my trusted colleagues, will be there to see it all happen. I've planned everything down to the last second. Nothing begins until we send our signal, because any resistance to our plan at any of the key points in my network could bring everything crashing down around us."

His fiery cyber-eye glared around at his followers as he continued.

"And anyone responsible for the slightest hitch in my plan will pay with his life."

"Good work, Em Teedee." Jaina shivered as she grinned over at Lowie.

"Well, we know where he is now."

Lowie rumbled thoughtfully.

"No, Master Lowbacca," Em Teedee said in a tiny voice. "I'm afraid Master Nien Nunb did not grant me authorization to access any of the primary security systems." The translator droid gave a mechanical sigh. "Of twenty possible clearance levels, I'm afraid I've been granted only two.

These levels are designated for infrastructure operations."

"And what does infrastructure operations include?" Jaina prompted.

The little droid made an embarrassed sound, as if he was clearing his throat. "The er, janitorial functions, it would seem."

Lowie's lips peeled back from his Wookiee fangs in a feral grin.

Jaina's eyebrows raised, and she looked at her friend. Her imagination sparked with quite a few interesting ideas. "I think we can work with that. Don't you?"

Lowie gave a gleeful bark and began issuing orders to Em Teedee at a rapid rate as he punched in commands at the terminal. "Ah, yes. I see."

Em Teedee passed the commands on through the appropriate allthorization filters. "Oh my, that would be most unpleasant."

Within minutes, an alarm shrieked through the administrative levels.

In the tiny image onscreen, fire-retardant systems sprang to life all around Czethros, spewing protective foam from hidden valves in the walls and ceilings. The bubbly mixture squirted across his visor and into his moss-green hair.

"Shut