"Admiral Daala wishes to see you," the captain said through the filtered speaker on his helmet.
"Oh. Why?"
"She"ll have to tell you that herself."
Qwi swallowed a cold lump in her throat and put a haughty tone in her voice. "Why couldn"t she come to me herself?"
"Because Admiral Daala is a busy person."
"I"m a busy person, too."
"She is our commanding officer. You aren"t."
Qwi asked no further questions but followed in silence as they took her across an access tube to another asteroid in the main conglomeration, then aboard a small shuttle in the landing bay.
When they arrived aboard the Star Destroyer Gorgon, Qwi could not keep herself from staring in wide-eyed fascination. Though the enormous ships had hung in the sky above Maw Installation for as long as she could remember, Qwi rarely had an opportunity to board them. Her stormtrooper escorts took her directly to the Gorgon"s bridge.
The trapezoidal command tower rose high above the arrowhead-shaped main body, giving a panoramic view overlooking the vast landscape of the ship. Qwi stood and stared out the front viewport toward the cobbled-together collection of rocks that made up Maw Installation. For a moment she remembered watching from the orbiting educational sphere as Moff Tarkin obliterated Omwati cities far below. ...
Command crew bustled about their stations, intent on their work as if in the middle of an important drill. In the corridors stormtroopers marched by at a brisk pace. Overlapping intercom messages peppered the air. Qwi wondered how the troops could be so busy after a decade of doing nothing.
Admiral Daala stood by her command console, staring at the deadly swirling gases that blocked her from the outside. Qwi saw her trim, perfect figure masked by an aurora of chestnut hair that flowed like a living blanket down her back. When Daala turned to face her, some of the hair remained where it hung, wrapping around her waist while other strands arced behind her.
"You wanted to see me?" Qwi asked. Her reedy voice quavered despite her efforts to control her nervousness.
Daala looked at her for a moment, and Qwi had the impression of being placed under a magnifying lens in preparation for dissection. Then Daala suddenly seemed to recognize her. "Ah! You are Qwi Xux, in charge of the Sun Crusher project?"
"Yes, Admiral." She paused a moment, then blurted, "Have I done something wrong?"
"I don"t know. Have you?" Daala answered, then turned back to the broad window, staring out at her other ships. "I can"t get any straight information out of Tol Sivron, so I"ll tell you directly. If you have any further work to do on your Sun Crusher, finish it now. We are mobilizing the fleet."
Daala misinterpreted Qwi"s shocked silence. "Don"t worry--I"ll authorize whatever a.s.sistance you need, but everything must be done within a day. You"ve had two years longer than Grand Moff Tarkin gave you. It is time to put the Sun Crusher to use."
Qwi took a deep breath, trying to keep her thoughts from spinning.
"But why now? Why such a rush?"
Daala whirled back at her, wearing a sour expression. "We have received new information. The Empire lies wounded and vulnerable on the outside, and we can"t just sit here and wait. We have four Star Destroyers, a full fleet the Rebellion knows nothing about. Since the Death Star prototype is not capable of hypers.p.a.ce travel, it is useless to us in this operation--but we will have the Sun Crusher. Your beautiful Sun Crusher." The lights of the fiery gases outside glimmered in Daala"s eyes. "With it we can destroy the New Republic, system by system."
All of Han"s warnings echoed as loud as screams in Qwi"s head. He had been right about everything.
Daala dismissed her, and Qwi stumbled as the stormtroopers escorted her back toward the waiting shuttle. Qwi would have to make her decision sooner than she had expected.
In her own quarters images of planets scrolled in front of Leia"s eyes. Statistics, populations, resources-cold data that she had to absorb and a.s.sess to make her decision. She rejected most of the worlds out of hand; others she marked as possibilities. So far nothing had jumped out at her as the perfect place for Luke to establish his Jedi academy.
It hadn"t seemed like such a difficult request, since the New Republic encompa.s.sed so many possible planets. She had found Dantooine as a new home for the survivors from Eol Sha--why was an academy site causing her so much trouble?
After meeting Luke"s first two trainees and seeing how unusual they were, Leia suspected the Jedi studies would require complete isolation.
She had spoken again to Gantoris and Streen in the past day and was discouraged to find both of them feeling miserable and abandoned. If only Luke would come back soon--with Han!
As she thought of other places, Leia pondered how Yoda had trained Luke on the swampy planet of Dagobah, a place completely devoid of other intelligent life. Her brother would want someplace similar for his own trainees.
Okay, what about Dagobah itself? she thought, putting a fingertip on her lower lip. The swamps had hidden Yoda for centuries, and it was certainly isolated from the mainstream of galactic traffic ... but Dagobah had no appropriate facilities either. They would have to erect an academy from scratch. Mobilizing the New Republic construction forces, Leia could get the job done in short order--but she wasn"t sure that was the right answer. Somehow she felt the right site would jump out at her.
Because the restoration of the Jedi Knights meant so much, Luke would be very selective about the proper site. She just hadn"t found it yet.
The message center buzzed. Again. Though it was barely midmorning, she had already lost count of the interruptions. With a sigh Leia answered it, seeing the image of another minor functionary take shape in the central focus.
"Minister Organa Solo," the functionary said, "I"m sorry to call you at home, but we need you to decide on a meal selection for the Bimmini banquet. The deadline is today. The choices are grazer fillets with tart sauce, nerf medallions with sweet fungi, broiled dewback-"
"I"ll take the nerf medallions. Thank you!" She switched off the receiver, then calmed herself before returning to the images of the planets.
In the bedchambers Jacen burst into loud sobs, joined in a moment by his sister. Threepio cooed sounds of consolation, then began another one of his lullabies, which set them to crying louder. Part of Leia wanted to hurry into the children"s room to see what was the matter, while another part of her just wanted to seal their door so she could have a little more quiet.
On the morning after the reception at the Skydome Botanical Gardens, both children had come down with a cold. Slight fever, congestion, and general crankiness--the type of frequent minor illness the twins would no doubt suffer for another few years--but Leia didn"t want to just abandon them to the care of Threepio.
After some refresher programming, the protocol droid had proved himself capable of caring for the two-year-olds. But Leia felt a defensiveness in herself. She was their mother; while it was a new set of responsibilities for her, Leia did not want a droid to watch them all the time, no matter how competent his programming. The children had already spent so much of their lives with Winter that Leia wanted to make up for lost time--if her political duties would only give her the chance!
Before she could call up the file on another planet to consider, the message center buzzed again. "What is it?" she said, mustering every sc.r.a.p of civility she still possessed. She did not recognize the alien administrator in the image.
"Ah, Minister Organa Solo, I am calling from the office of the deputy a.s.sistant minister of industry. I was told you might be able to offer a suggestion about a type of music that would be appropriate to play during the arrival of the Ishi Tib delegate?"
For a moment Leia reconsidered her time as a prisoner of Jabba the Hutt. At least the slug-like crime lord had not required her to do anything more than sit there and look beautiful....
Before she finished signing off, a message came in from Admiral Ackbar. Though she liked the Calamarian admiral, she found it difficult to keep her temper from boiling. How was she supposed to get anything done with all these interruptions?
"h.e.l.lo, Admiral--can I help you quickly? I"m in the middle of a rather large project right now."
Ackbar nodded graciously, swiveling his big fish eyes to the front in a gesture of courtesy. "Of course, Leia. I apologize for the interruption, but I"d like to solicit your comments on the speech I have just written. As you remember, I am giving it before the Cabinet tomorrow, and you agreed to provide me with data on the rezoning of emba.s.sy sectors in the devastated areas of Imperial City. I did write the speech without your input, but I need to have the information before tomorrow. I"ve marked clearly where you need to add your thoughts. Would it be possible-"
"Of course, Admiral. I"m sorry I haven"t been more attentive.
Please send it to my personal network address, and I"ll get to it right away. I promise."
Ackbar nodded his salmon-colored head. "Thank you, and I apologize again for the interruption. I"ll let you get back to work."
When he signed off, Leia could do no more than sit with her eyes closed, hoping for a few moments of silence. In quiet times, though, she began to worry too much about Han....
The door chime sounded. Leia almost screamed.
Mon Mothma stood at the doorway in her flowing white robes. "h.e.l.lo, Leia. Do you mind if I come in?"
Leia stuttered, trying to regain her composure. "Uh, please!" Mon Mothma had never come visiting, never shown the slightest inclination to make any sort of social call. Though calm and quietly charismatic, the Chief of State had always distanced herself from anyone else.
During the early days of the Rebellion, Mon Mothma had sparred with Leia"s father Bail Organa on the floor of the Senate. Mon Mothma was a new senator then, a firebrand insisting on rapid and sweeping changes that dismayed the seasoned and cynical Bail Organa. Eventually, though, they joined forces to oppose Senator Palpatine in his quest to become President; when they failed and Palpatine proclaimed himself "Emperor."
Mon Mothma began to speak of open rebellion. A horrified Bail Organa had not seen the need until after the Ghorman Ma.s.sacre, when he finally realized that the Republic he had served for so long was truly dead.
The death of Bail Organa and the destruction of Alderaan had affected Mon Mothma deeply. But she had never hinted that she wished to become friends with the daughter of her old rival. "What can I do for you, Mon Mothma?" Leia asked.
Mon Mothma looked around the private quarters, fixing her gaze on the sweeping landscapes of Alderaan mounted on the walls, the gra.s.slands, the organic-looking tower cities, the underground settlements. The faintest sheen of tears seemed to film her eyes.
"I learned that your children are sick, and I wanted to offer my consolations." She fixed a sharp gaze on Leia. "And I have also learned that Han and Chewbacca never returned from their Kessel mission. I wish you hadn"t tried to hide that from me. Is there anything I can do?"
Leia looked down. "No. Lando Calrissian and my brother Luke have already gone to see what they can find. I hope they bring back news soon."
Mon Mothma nodded. "And I also wanted to commend you on the job you are doing. Or perhaps console you is the better word."
Leia could not hide her surprise. "The reception for Amba.s.sador Furgan was a disaster!"
Mon Mothma shrugged. "And do you think anyone could have performed better than you did? You did a perfectly adequate job with the Caridans.
Some battles simply cannot be won. Given the Caridans" potential for galactic mayhem, I think getting a drink thrown in my face is a relatively minor debacle."
With a faint smile Leia had to admit that the Chief of State was right. "Now, if only I could find a place to house Luke"s Jedi academy, I"d feel like I"m making some progress through this whole mora.s.s."
Mon Mothma smiled. "I"ve been thinking about that too, ever since Luke made his speech. I believe I have a suggestion."
Leia"s dark eyes widened in surprise. "Please!"
Mon Mothma indicated the data terminal in Leia"s living chamber.
"May I?"
Leia gestured for her to use the system. Though a life-long politician, Mon Mothma set to work on the database; she was obviously no stranger to doing her own research.
When images of the new planet crystallized in the projection zone, Leia felt the tingle of excitement creep through her. The confident feeling that this was the right place grew in her heart. She wondered how she had overlooked something so obvious.
"Consider," Mon Mothma said, smiling. "It has everything he could possibly need--privacy, good climate, facilities already in place."
"It"s perfect! I don"t know why I didn"t think of it myself."
The message center buzzed again.
"What?" Leia barked at the caller. She realized she should have been more restrained, but she had reached the end of her fuse. Mon Mothma remained at the data terminal, watching from outside the field of view.
The caller also dispensed with tact. "We need your report right now, Minister Organa Solo. The orbital debris committee is deliberating on the disposition of wreckage around Coruscant. You were supposed to attend our discussions this morning-"
Leia recognized the functionary as Andur, the vice-chairman of the committee. "My aide has already canceled my appointments for today. I"m sorry I was unable to attend."
"We received your cancellation, but we didn"t receive your report.
You agreed to write a summary and distribute it to us at this session.
It"s past due! Sick children do not make the New Republic stop functioning."
Seeing red, Leia remembered standing in Jabba"s palace, holding the pulsing thermal detonator in her hand, waiting for it to explode and kill them all. Five, four, three, two...
Somehow she restrained herself. Perhaps spending a day with Amba.s.sador Furgan had toughened her calluses. "I may be the Minister of State, Mr. Andur, but I am also a mother. I have to do both jobs--I can"t sacrifice one for the sake of the other. My children need me now. The committee can wait."
Miffed, the vice-chairman raised his voice. "It would have been much easier to complete our deliberations if you had been here rather than home playing nurse--couldn"t you hire a medical droid to take care of your kids" runny noses? This is an important issue we"re dealing with, affecting the fate of all s.p.a.ce traffic approaching and leaving Coruscant!"
Leia stiffened. "This is an important issue I"m dealing with here, too! How can you expect me to care about the whole galaxy if I don"t even care for my own family? If you wanted mindless devotion to duty without caring about people, then you should have stayed with the old Empire!"
She reached for the controls. "My report will be issued to you in due time, Mr. Andur." She switched him off before he could say another word.
At the end of her outburst, Leia slumped into her self-conforming chair, suddenly remembering her guest. Her face turned scarlet with embarra.s.sment.
"That committee meets weekly, and there"s no reason why they couldn"t have waited until next time," she said in a simmering, defensive voice. "I"m really not going to let any important negotiations go down the drain. I know my duty."
Mon Mothma nodded, sharing one of her placid, heart-felt smiles.
"Of course you won"t, Leia. I understand. Don"t worry about it." The Chief of State looked at Leia with what seemed to be a new and surprising respect.
Leia sighed and stared at the planetary image on the data terminal.
"Maybe I should go off and spend a few months at the Jedi academy myself as soon as Luke gets it under way--though I know that"ll never happen.
Taking a vacation from Imperial City is about as easy as walking away from a black hole. Affairs of state swallow up my entire day."
She caught herself complaining and quickly added, "But of course restoring the order of the Jedi Knights is very important. I have the potential to use the Force and so do the twins. But thorough training will take a lot of time and concentration-two commodities I don"t seem to have."
Mon Mothma looked at her gravely, then squeezed Leia"s shoulder.
"Don"t worry too much. You have other important things in store for you."
Han rolled over with a groan in the detention cell. The hard ridges on the surface of his bunk--Han thought of them as "discomfort stripes"--made sleep itself a nightmare.
He awoke from a dream about Leia, perhaps the only enjoyment he had experienced in three weeks. The dim reddish light filtered down, hurting his eyes without providing useful illumination.
He blinked his eyes open, hearing people move outside his cell door, the clank of stormtrooper boots on the floor gratings, m.u.f.fled voices. The cyberlock clicked as someone activated the pa.s.sword code.
He sat up, suddenly alert. His body ached, his mind still buzzed from the interrogation drugs, but he tensed as the door opened. He had no idea what this was, but he felt certain he wouldn"t like it.
Corridor light flooded in, and Qwi Xux stood beside an armed stormtrooper. She looked battered and abused by her own thoughts, which gave Han a smug grin. He hoped she had lost a lot of sleep after learning of the devastating use to which her inventions had been put. She might be able to fool herself, but she couldn"t fool him.
"What, have you come back to discuss a few more moral issues, Doc?
Am I supposed to be your conscience?"
Qwi crossed her pale-bluish arms over her chest. "Admiral Daala has given me permission to interrogate you again," she said coldly, though her body language did not match her tone. She turned to the guard, her pearlescent hair sparkling in the dim corridor. "Would you accompany me inside for the interrogation, Lieutenant? I"m afraid the prisoner might not cooperate."
"Yes, Dr. Xux," the guard said, following her into the cell. He slid the door partially closed behind him.
While his back was turned, Qwi withdrew a blaster from the utility pocket on her smock, pointed it at the guard, and fired a stun blast.
Rippling arcs of blue fire surrounded him, then faded as he crumpled to the floor.