Nine years, four months, and seventeen days after the Battle of Yavin...
Or forty-four years, four months, and seventeen days after the Great Resynchronization.
"Just needs to be served," thought Talon Karrde, watching the wine swirl in the glasses.
Smuggler Talon Karrde.
Not the most refined conditions for a meeting with a young and, in her own way, beautiful girl, but working and living conditions didn't allow for proper arrangements.
Still, Talon believed his invited lady wouldn't turn up her nose at the setting. He'd watched her for quite a while, drawing conclusions to better understand her. Not that he was making any special effort for Mara's sake — he'd already figured out that the girl was wise beyond her years, sharp, resourceful, and didn't react to primitive flirting.
So he simply enjoyed watching her. It was practically a sport.
A quiet but assertive knock sounded at the door. Glancing at the chronometer, Talon grinned. The girl was punctual as always.
"Come in," he said.
"Just like that?" Jade inquired, opening the door. Against his will, Karrde admired this stately woman, full of feminine beauty and grace, dressed in a simple but form-fitting jumpsuit. "Not even going to ask who's come calling?"
Former Emperor's Hand — Mara Jade.
"At this hour, only you can disturb my solitude," the man smiled, rising to meet her.
Mara gave him a dark look, having first assessed the table set with no ordinary delicacies.
"I didn't think it would all be ready," her gaze could have frozen Tatooine, and Talon involuntarily felt a chill.
"Just a business lunch," he said, smiling disarmingly. "Nothing more."
Mara was about to respond, but she was interrupted in the most unceremonious manner: one of Talon's two pet vornskrs growled under the table.
"Come out from under there, Rush!" Karrde ordered. "Your lunch is in the kitchen. And if you don't hurry, Sturm will eat it all himself."
The four-legged predator, wagging its docked tail, crawled out from under the table, stretched, slowly lowered its head grumbling something under its breath, and shuffled toward the exit.
"Sorry for the interruption," he looked at Mara, who had sat down in the chair across from him. "I think I was about to say..."
He didn't finish, rudely interrupted by the beep of his comlink. The man looked at the device with a hint of suspicion.
"It seems the universe itself is against you finishing that thought," Mara smiled, helping herself to some stewed meat.
"Go ahead," Talon answered the call.
"Boss," came a familiar voice. "It's Aves." One of his lieutenants sounded tense. "Hope you haven't started lunch yet."
"Your hopes are misplaced," Karrde said calmly. "I assume you're not bothering me over nothing."
"Of course not," his close associate assured him. "You need to know — we're not alone. There's an Imperial Star Destroyer in orbit."
Karrde noticed Mara had slowed her chewing, listening intently.
"Whose is it?" he asked, glancing regretfully at his cooling meat but overcoming the temptation and moving to his work desk, where he found a datapad.
"You think its commander is so stuck in the good old days that he's kindly left his transponder on?" Aves's voice carried amusement. "He's in high orbit. Hard to read the name on the hull, but we think this tub is called the Chimaera."
Karrde stood, leaning back against the edge of his desk, watching Jade. She had begun demonstratively piling appetizers onto her plate.
That woman had many secrets. But among them, her particularly uncontrolled reactions to anything concerning the Galactic Empire and the galaxy's only Jedi stood out — like now.
Though, no. He'd never seen her so agitated that she started mixing up the order of dishes before. Completely unlike her.
"Interesting company," Karrde said, typing the ship's name into his datapad to find information on the vessel. "What are they doing? Any transmissions?"
"If they've contacted anyone on the surface, it sure isn't us... Wait a moment..." Concern crept into Aves's voice. "Boss, they're launching Lambdas."
"How many?" Karrde tensed. The Lambda-class T-4a shuttle was the Empire's primary small transport. Crew of five, twenty passengers, decent shields and armament, one of the best hyperdrives in the galaxy. Such a ship could launch an assault or drop a couple of squads of stormtroopers to cause trouble on the surface.
Lambda-class T-4a Shuttle
"Two," Aves said, uncertainty in his voice. "Talon... it gets worse. They're heading our way."
"You mean they'll land near our base?" Karrde pressed.
"No, boss, these ships are coming straight for us," Aves said, now confident. "But the two Sentinels — those are heading for the forest."
Sentinel-class Landing Craft
"In the same place?" Jade asked.
"On opposite sides of the base," Aves reported. "And the Lambdas are on the other two sides."
"This isn't good, Talon," Mara spoke up, her face showing faint signs of tension. "One Sentinel can carry fifty-four stormtroopers..."
"Yes, Mara, I know," Karrde smiled. "We've got half a company of stormtroopers coming in on Lambdas. And another company in Sentinels cutting us off from the forest. Interesting..."
"But how do they know our base is here?"
"They must have eyes," Talon said slowly. "It's hard to miss a modular base from orbit that hasn't been camouflaged yet. I need to contact them."
"Why?" Mara seemed to turn to stone. Every sentient in Karrde's organization disliked Imperials, but Jade... Something truly strange was happening with her. Whenever she heard something about the Imperial Remnant, their actions, their intentions — she showed wariness and undisguised hostility. While about the Imperial period before the Battle of Endor she spoke with notable warmth.
"To show our hospitality," Karrde muttered. "I can only think of a few reasons the Empire would come to Myrkr."
"Vornskrs and ysalamiri," Jade narrowed her emerald eyes. "Isn't that too much honor for a single Jedi in the whole galaxy?"
"Perhaps Luke Skywalker isn't the only one?" Karrde said, looking at the girl with curiosity.
The reaction was worth it.
Luke Skywalker — another trigger for her negative emotions. Her pupils dilated, her breathing quickened... At moments like that, she resembled a vornskr herself.
But she said nothing.
"Aves, I need their frequency," Karrde said. "And before those ships land..."
"No need, boss," surprise colored his assistant's voice. "They're hailing us."
Talon looked at Mara. The girl looked even more tense than before.
"Imperial Star Destroyer Chimaera, this is Talon Karrde," the Talon spoke. "Welcome to the planet. How can I help you?"
A crackle of static came from the comlink, then the built-in holo-projector activated. Talon was looking at a middle-aged man with a regulation short haircut. Captain's insignia indicated the smuggler was being honored by a conversation with the Imperial Star Destroyer's commander himself.
"Captain Pellaeon, aboard the Chimaera," came a crisp, official tone not conducive to friendly conversation. "Talon Karrde, I presume?"
"That's correct," the Talon continued radiating friendliness. "Your ships are heading toward our temporary camp, so I'd like to know how I can assist the brave warriors of Grand Admiral Thrawn."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mara go pale, pressing herself into her chair and gripping the armrests tightly. Interesting reaction...
"You're well informed," the destroyer commander noted, his tone frosty. Funny, but sometimes those same inflections crept into Jade's voice. Especially when she demanded obedience from a position of authority over Karrde's regular organization members.
It was precisely her ability to manage the organization's people, along with her effectiveness in carrying out orders, that — despite her short time working for the "Talon" had made him intend to make her his first lieutenant. In fact, that was the reason for this business meeting: discussing Jade's promotion. Though he suspected the agenda would have to be postponed until conditions were more favorable.
"The galaxy is a big place," Karrde smiled politely. No point clowning around with someone who could rain fire from a hundred turbolasers on your base, let alone deploy starfighters. "Rumors of Grand Admiral Thrawn's return are floating around here and there..."
"You just have your ears wide open?" Pellaeon snorted.
"Exactly that," the Talon didn't react to the impertinence. "But I'm a hospitable man and always happy to help my neighbors. Just tell me how I and my people can be of service..."
"Don't worry, Karrde," the Imperial Star Destroyer commander advised him. "You'll find out everything firsthand soon enough."
Talon felt the temperature rising.
"Your words mean that..."
"The Grand Admiral is landing on the surface," the Imperial officer's smile resembled a grimace. "I suggest you set a place for him at lunch as well."
I'd like to know how the hell you know that specific detail, Karrde thought.
"Yes, one more thing," Pellaeon announced. "The Grand Admiral requested that your first lieutenant be present when you meet."
"Unfortunately, that position is vacant," Talon said evenly, realizing the Imperials knew something from somewhere that they shouldn't.
"Is that so? Strange," Pellaeon raised an eyebrow. "Because according to our information, you have a charming young woman with red hair and strikingly beautiful green eyes for that job..."
The Imperial captain's last words coincided with the sound of Mara breaking the armrests of her antique chair.
Karrde, forcing a smile, nodded to the Imperial, and the image vanished.
It seemed the red-haired beauty had an admirer she was afraid of. Until now, Karrde thought his organization held little interest for the Empire or the New Republic. But if they'd discovered the presence of even one specific person in his organization — and such an exceptional one as Mara Jade — then things were truly bad.
He'd miscalculated somewhere.
"Aves," he contacted his trusted lieutenant. "Hide everything the Imperials shouldn't see. As soon as they leave — pack up the base. Time for us to get out of here."
* * *
Myrkr was, in fact, a unique planet.
And it wasn't just that the local flora was capable of jamming all communications due to the microelements circulating through the tree trunks. Anyone close enough to the forest's edge lost the ability to contact comrades over long distances. For example, on the surface, you couldn't dream of establishing contact with a ship in orbit. Not even with one as advanced as an Imperial Star Destroyer. That was precisely why Karrde had cleared a significant portion of the forest and placed his base there — to have working communications. In his line of work, you couldn't manage without it.
However, this planet interested me for completely different reasons.
Ysalamiri lived here — lizard-like creatures that could literally dig their claws into trees and were generally extremely lazy. But they had a remarkable feature that helped them survive in a world where fierce hunters — vornskrs — used the Force to track prey.
Ysalamiri created a bubble of space around them where the Force "didn't work." For ordinary sentients, this effect posed no danger, but for Jedi or Sith — it prevented them from directly affecting an object near a ysalamir.
And the more of these lizards there were, the bigger the "bubble" of Force-free space.
Why would a Grand Admiral, not sensitive to the Force, want such a zoo, when capturing these creatures required several large ships? The answer lay on the planet Wayland.
But more on that later. For now, the primary task was the conversation with Talon Karrde.
Imperial Intelligence knew frustratingly little about him.
Human, male, smuggler, information broker. Where and how he conducted his business was unclear. How many sentients were in his organization was also unknown.
The Imperials believed the "Talon" remained neutral in the conflict between the Empire and the New Republic, preferring not to get involved or choose sides.
And yet, that wasn't quite true.
About a year and a half to two years ago, when Rogue Squadron had defeated Imperial Intelligence Director Ysanne Isard in the Bacta War, and the New Republic had gained control of the planet Thyferra, capturing several Imperial starships, including the Executor-class Super Star Destroyer Lusankya — Karrde, though not without his own profit, had helped resolve a minor crisis between the New Republic and the smugglers who had captured a fully functional Star Destroyer.
But only those present at the deal knew about it — Republic officers and the smugglers themselves.
A bit of history.
Ysanne Isard — calculating, cunning, cruel, and loyal to the ideals of the Empire. After Palpatine's death five and a half years ago, she had held Coruscant with a small fleet. After the rebels captured the planet, she fled to Thyferra on the Lusankya, taking several Star Destroyers with her.
Why Thyferra? What attracted her to that planet?
Simple. That world produced bacta — a substance that could heal any physical wound. Whoever controlled bacta production effectively controlled the medical market. Ysanne might have succeeded, but history had other plans.
She lost everything — the planet, the ships, even her life. The Republicans were certain of her death. Unfortunately for them, it wasn't true.
After Thrawn's death in the events I knew of, Ysanne would attempt another complex scheme to capture the Lusankya and present the ship to the Reborn Emperor Palpatine — but she'd fail. The ship would remain with the New Republic until the Yuuzhan Vong war, where it would be destroyed.
However, right now, this reference information wasn't particularly useful. The New Republic had tried very hard to conceal the Lusankya's location while repairing the ship. There was only one place and time when the Super Star Destroyer would be vulnerable. But for that, Thrawn's campaign had to fail, and the Grand Admiral himself had to die.
Thrawn's death would also allow Booster Terrik — the smuggler who currently owned an entire Star Destroyer with the New Republic's permission — to come out of hiding. That guy was lying so low, terrified that Thrawn was hunting his ship, that he wouldn't show up even in inhabited systems until the Chiss was dead.
Again — for now, this was just reference information.
Talon Karrde as a man and leader of a smuggler gang interested me in a completely different way.
This man possessed many secrets, but not all of them were for sale.
And the secret I needed most — definitely wasn't.
The "Talon" was also dangerous because he held significant influence among smugglers. So if he was squeezed hard enough, he could forge the traditionally independent dregs of society into a very serious organization. Perhaps only armed freighters, but still — it was a fleet. Armed freighters had helped the Republicans capture the Lusankya in relatively battle-ready condition.
The criminal underworld couldn't be dismissed — they possessed significant resources and could tip the scales one way or another. And if I didn't want an alliance between smugglers and the New Republic, I needed to steer events in another direction.
For example — sow doubt and mistrust in Karrde's organization. Preferably, tear it apart entirely.
Killing or capturing Karrde wouldn't help — the moment that happened, smugglers across the galaxy would want a taste of Imperial blood. And quite possibly, as in the events I knew, this would lead to the destruction of the Imperial Star Destroyer being completed at the Bilbringi shipyards. A ship I could acquire for myself. And in current realities, with a war of all against all raging, an extra ship never hurt.
With these thoughts, I headed for Myrkr's surface. If everything had gone as planned, Pellaeon had already hinted to Karrde about Mara Jade. That would make the "Talon" tense up. Information he didn't control was interesting to him — as long as it didn't harm the organization.
And the best way to deal with Karrde was to make him stop trusting Mara Jade.
The Emperor's Hand, left without means of support after her master's death, had been drifting across the galaxy for five years. She had crossed paths with Isard and many other Imperial figures, and had become disillusioned with the Empire without Palpatine. So now she was in Karrde's organization. She needed money, a place to lie low. That was her nature. The nature of a personal agent of what was once the most influential man in the galaxy.
There was no point in recruiting Mara Jade right now, today.
It was enough to plant doubt in her mind, to make her believe that the Empire, as a unified state, just in practice and not just for show, could exist. Jade knew Thrawn and his capabilities well. She feared that his actions would destroy her little cozy world. And rightly so.
The Empire did not throw away its personnel. At least, the part of it that I led.
Therefore, I should at least try to recruit Mara Jade. If I succeeded — excellent. She would be a valuable acquisition. If not — no matter.
There were still many undiscovered stars in this galaxy for the future New Jedi Order. They would just need proper ideological work.
* * *
The shuttle landed at the edge of the cleared space. Like a guest politely knocking at the door.
As soon as the ramp lowered, Imperial stormtroopers in gleaming white armor ran down it, forming a protective perimeter around the ship. The soldiers couldn't have cared less that Karrde's men — carefully hiding their weapons under their clothes — were glaring at them unfriendly.
The second squad — all nine elite soldiers of the Empire — formed a small formation, so that whoever stepped onto the ground after them would pass through two neat lines of soldiers.
"Showmanship," Mara snorted quietly, standing to Karrde's right.
"Yes," he agreed. "They're making it abundantly clear that the Empire is still strong and mighty, since it can use stormtroopers for such cheap tricks."
"I doubt this is all just to throw dust in our eyes," Mara said. "Thrawn isn't the type to act spectacularly at the expense of effectiveness."
"You speak as if you know him well," Karrde said innocently. Mara didn't grace him with a reply. But her quickened breathing when a sentient appeared on the ramp spoke for itself.
However, the situation became clear rather quickly.
"You are not Grand Admiral Thrawn," Talon stated, addressing a young naval lieutenant. So young that his face still bore traces of a tumultuous hormonal explosion from adolescence.
"Correct," the young officer grinned, showing a complete lack of vaunted Imperial composure. "Lieutenant Tschel. I'm tasked with collecting ysalamiri lizards in the local forests. The Grand Admiral said you could provide people to show us how to do it without harming the lizards."
"I'd like to know where the Grand Admiral gets such information," Karrde muttered, nodding to a couple of his underlings. They were knowledgeable enough on the subject, and getting the young officer to talk would be as easy as taking candy from a baby.
"Ask him yourself," Lieutenant Tschel suggested, checking his chronometer. "He's probably... Ah! There he is!"
The Imperial pointed a finger behind the smuggler. Karrde turned his head in the indicated direction and mentally cursed.
By the main building, a couple of dozen meters behind them, "dolls" Imperial stormtroopers — had already taken position. And against their backdrop stood out a sentient in a snow-white uniform. His blue skin and black hair marked him as a non-human.
And he was curiously examining Karrde's ships parked nearby. Next to him stood a stocky, gray-skinned being of an unknown race, with bulging eyes and a protruding jaw. Muscular, moving like an experienced dancer. A blaster and several knives hung from his belt. Talon didn't recognize this species.
"Thrawn," Mara hissed through her teeth, watching the Imperials who had arrived on the first Lambda head into the forest with Karrde's men.
"Looks like him," the Talon said vaguely. He had heard rumors that the Empire's last Grand Admiral was unlike his other colleagues. But right now, he was much more concerned about what creature was next to the Imperial. Because it moved like a bodyguard should. Or an experienced killer who had taken dozens of lives. "So it turns out they're waiting for us right by our own home."
"Surprised they're not inside with their polished boots on your work desk," Jade said with distaste.
"Don't worry, I'd survive that outcome too," Karrde smiled. The beauty didn't answer, staring at the Imperial officer with such intensity as if trying to memorize every wrinkle on his face.
When they closed the distance, the Talon was the first to greet the high-ranking officer of the Imperial Remnant.
"Welcome to our backwater, Grand Admiral Thrawn," he gave a barely perceptible nod — enough not to seem fawning, but also not to appear disrespectful to his guest. "I am Talon Karrde."
"I, in turn, am pleased to meet such a legendary sentient," the blue-skinned humanoid replied calmly. His eyes, burning crimson like molten magma, made even the Talon uneasy — as if you were a tiny but temporarily useful microbe.
"My apologies for the delay in greeting," Karrde continued building rapport. "The confusion with the shuttles occurred because we don't often receive such distinguished guests."
"In such numbers, no less," Mara said unexpectedly, staring intently at Thrawn. He turned his head toward her, as if only now noticing the striking girl standing beside the smuggler.
"So I understand, Mr. Karrde," Thrawn said slowly, returning his gaze to the organization's leader, "this is Mara Jade, your right hand?"
"Yes," the Talon replied curtly. "She became that about ten minutes ago. When your ships were descending."
"How drastically your fate changes, Mara Jade, when the Empire intervenes in it," Thrawn said meaningfully, looking at the girl. She returned his gaze with equal intensity and fearlessness. For several seconds they fought with their eyes, then Jade looked away. A sly smile appeared on Thrawn's lips. Very briefly.
"So I take it your people are already instructing my subordinates on the safe extraction of the ysalamiri?" he clarified.
"Correct," Karrde agreed.
"In that case, we should go inside," the Grand Admiral nodded toward the main building. "And talk business."
It feels like he's the one in charge here, Karrde thought.
"Of course," the smuggler said with a smile, glancing at Mara Jade.
The red-haired beauty, staring at the Imperial officer's back, looked like a cornered animal. One wrong move — and she'd attack.
"Keep yourself together," he whispered. "I don't know what he did to you, but..."
"I'm fine," Jade said through her teeth, unequivocally confirming the opposite.
* * *
The main hall of this dome-shaped structure bore clear signs that this base was a permanent facility. Yes, cargo could be brought in and taken out, but a structure like this — with a massive tree inside — couldn't be assembled and moved to a new location.
Therefore, Karrde would need considerable time to evacuate this base. And I was almost certain he would indeed shut down his operations on Myrkr.
Here, in his lair, he considered himself safe. A little-known planet, vegetation that interfered with communications systems... An ideal place to lay low in case of any problems. "My home is my fortress."
But today, with a not-so-clever trick, I proved to him that even here he couldn't feel safe. Which means he'll move somewhere else, to a backup base.
And that's good. Let's see just how well this man can hide.
A small travel table stood almost in the center of the room, tempting with the smell of exquisite dishes. But I hadn't flown here to fill my stomach.
"Please, Grand Admiral," Karrde gestured toward one of the three ornate, high-backed chairs arranged around the table. "Allow me to demonstrate all the hospitality of a gracious host."
"I see no problem with that," I said, but instead of accepting the invitation to sit at the table, I stopped behind the chair Mara Jane was about to sit in. "However, even a gracious host and employer should remember the rules of etiquette toward a lady."
The red-haired woman tried to burn me with a look from her emerald eyes again, but met only the complete indifference I showed. She looked away and sat down in the chair. Pulling it up to the table, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Karrde was watching everything with great interest. Well, let him. The more doubt in his head, the better.
Settling in at the table, I didn't even think about moving closer to it. Karrde, understanding the hint that no meal was forthcoming, looked at me curiously. Mara, on the contrary, decided to calm her nerves with a glass of red wine.
"Won't your servant join us?" inquired the "Claw."
"No," I replied, without going into detail about the status, identity, or tasks assigned to Rukh for this trip. Even the fact that the Noghri was the only one on their base wouldn't save Karrde. The task set for the bodyguard would be completed. While I bought time for him, simultaneously undermining the smuggler's authority in Mara Jade's eyes.
I had come to Myrkr on schedule solely for her sake, knowing that Karrde's fighters were on the planet. It would be a shame, of course, if the bet didn't pay off, but war is like that — you win some, you lose some.
"Not a bad place," I said, appraisingly surveying the room's interior. A work area, a small arsenal, and containers. One extra piece of furniture — a chair turned with its back to us... on the seat of which were piled broken armrests. I wonder who made such an effort. "And yet, it seems to me that a sentient of your level could find a more suitable place for meeting with clients."
"You're right there," Karrde smiled. "For client meetings, my organization uses more reputable worlds. This base... is something of a personal sanctuary."
"Well," I leaned back in my chair, folding my arms across my chest. "If I knew the location of this base, I'd have flown there."
"It's rather hard to find," Karrde smiled.
"But it's easy to find your people," I noted. "Rumors say you're the kind of man who never hides anything from his people..."
An assertion, like an accusation, thrown in the "Claw's" face. In Mara's presence, he can't say the opposite — that would breed distrust in him. But he's not in a hurry to confirm my words either, understanding that it was said for a reason.
However, I'd be satisfied with his silence as well.
"I'm sure that's true," I continued, looking at the ceiling of the room. "So finding your main base wouldn't have been difficult for me."
"And why would you want that?" Karrde inquired.
"For mutually beneficial cooperation, of course," I assured him. "As a particularly valuable and generous client, naturally."
"I don't recall your name on our organization's client list," Mara said, staring at the table. Her tone seemed calm, but the slight trembling of the wine in her glass betrayed her impatience.
"Well," I said, ignoring Karrde's attempt to speak. "Time to update that list by adding my name. 'Thrawn.' Simple to write, easy to remember."
"I'm afraid my organization is unable to meet your demands," Karrde said quickly.
"Are you sure about that?" I looked at him. "You don't even know what they are."
"The whole galaxy knows them," Jade snapped. "You need ships. The more the better..."
"And that's where the awkwardness arises," Karrde picked up. "My people are smugglers. We don't steal starships — especially military ones."
"Sometimes you don't even need to steal them," I remarked philosophically. "Sometimes they just fall into your hands." Karrde's pupils dilated, his hands tensed. But he immediately pulled himself together, probably convincing himself that I couldn't know what only he knew. "You just need to make a choice — whose side you're on, 'Claw.' Mine, or someone else's."
"Neither I nor my organization choose sides," he said. "That's an unwritten rule."
"Of course," I stated, noting that a barely noticeable smile appeared on Jade's lips. Doubtless, she believed her boss's words. Well, let's see how strong her shock will be. "I've heard about your principles of non-interference. In our difficult circumstances, with the war between the Empire and the New Republic dragging on for years now," the red-haired woman glanced in my direction, "not choosing sides is the simplest and most profitable business. I'm sure your business thrives on working with both sides."
"We make a few credits," the smuggler said evasively. "Trade rare goods, now with one side, now with the other..."
"Profitable, building such a business," I confirmed. "You wouldn't happen to have any capture gear, ion cannons, turbolasers, and TIE fighters lying around, would you?"
Mara shot a quick glance at the suspiciously quiet Karrde. The smuggler himself was carefully pretending not to understand what he was being told.
"I see you're at a loss," I shook my head, looking at Jade. This performance was work on all possible fronts. For Karrde — to feel his vulnerability and take a closer look at Jade, starting to take an interest in her past. For Mara — a reason to doubt the 'Claw's' noble openness with his people.
The girl had grown attached to this group, which had picked her up off the side of the road at the saddest period of her life. But she hadn't forgotten her old habits. She was loyal to the point of idiocy to someone who was open with her. Otherwise, the stereotypes in her head crumbled. And then she became vulnerable to outside offers.
The redhead remained silent, preferring to take a sip.
"Well, I'm a little disappointed," I looked at Karrde again. "Until now, I was sure the New Republic hadn't managed to buy from you all the military equipment you got from Booster Terrik when he seized an Imperial II-class Star Destroyer. What was it called, Karrde, you don't remember?"
"No," he said a little faster than he should have. A dangerous spark glinted in his emerald eyes.
"Virulence," I said. "The Star Destroyer Booster Terrik captured in the Yag'Dhul system a couple of years ago. Brand new, not even damaged in battle. Unlike the similar Star Destroyer Liberty belonging to Captain Yonka. The latter was badly battered in the Battle of Thyferra. So much so that there was even a proposal for Terrik, who didn't want to give up the Star Destroyer he'd personally captured, to take the battered Virulence instead. Strange you don't remember that, Karrde, since it was you who came up with the scheme that let Terrik keep a partially disarmed but still fully combat-capable Star Destroyer. My memory rarely fails me, but I believe you got a huge amount of military goods from the disarmed Virulence. And intended to sell them to the New Republic... for about thirty-five million. On credit, considering the sad economic situation of Coruscant's new owners. Correct me if I'm wrong anywhere."
"You are astonishingly accurate in your words, Grand Admiral," Karrde's face was nothing but a mask of complete emotional detachment. And why wouldn't I be accurate — I'd been racking my brains for hours trying to figure out what events you'd been involved in before. For your misfortune, the X-Wing book series was one of my favorites. As was the work of writer Timothy Zahn, who gave readers a genius like Thrawn. "Which is strange, considering you returned to the explored part of the galaxy less than a year ago."
"You're also quite well-informed, 'Claw,'" I nodded, watching as Jade refilled her glass. "I wouldn't be surprised if you knew exactly where I was and what I was doing."
"Any information costs money, Grand Admiral," Karrde relaxed a little.
"That's precisely why I'm ready to pay you for the remnants of the equipment left over from the disarming of the Virulence." The smuggler quickly exchanged glances with his first officer. "I'm sure the New Republic didn't buy everything from you. And I could really use that kind of goods."
"I regret to disappoint you, but I must," Karrde said. "Over the past years, the New Republic managed to find the necessary funds. Everything was sold to them."
"Hate to hear that," I sighed. "I had hoped something might be lying around on your, without a doubt, boundless warehouses."
"If I'd known in advance you'd be interested in this kind of goods, I'd have held onto them," Karrde lied.
"Yes, a great pity," I confirmed. "This deal could have confirmed your words about neutrality. You bought weapons from a third party, sold part to the Empire, part to the New Republic. As it is, it seems a bit one-sided..."
"Goods like that don't stick around lately," Karrde kept to his line.
"Perhaps you have something similar?" I inquired. "The Empire lost a lot, starting with the death of Emperor Palpatine. I don't doubt that a dealer as respectable as yourself has exclusive offers for special clients."
"As I already said," Karrde said with emphasis, "I don't have any ships."
"Curious that you specifically mentioned ships." Mara Jade was practically devouring her boss with her eyes. And though she tried not to show her emotions, her eyes were more than eloquent. "The fact that you don't have them, I remembered the first time. There's no need to repeat it — unless you want me to start doubting the truthfulness of your words. I'll repeat myself — I'm interested in absolutely any Imperial property. Even stormtrooper armor."
"Is the Remnant really that bad off for supplies?" Jade looked at me. "If you're ready to buy what was once the most common armor in the Empire on the black market. And in not the best condition, no less."
"You see, Ms. Jade," I looked into her eyes. "Before the Battle of Endor, the Empire possessed colossal resources. Many of them were truly unique. But as it happened, the redistribution of power that occurred in my absence led to a significant part of that unique resource being unclaimed and ending up in private hands. I intend to rectify that and restore the Empire's former glory. Including by using resources that were squandered."
"And what do you intend to do with those resources that don't want to come back?" she asked cautiously. Karrde watched us with interest.
"I will be deeply disappointed," a slight relief appeared on the girl's face. "And primarily in those who managed those resources. After all, an army blaster can end up in the wrong hands not only in battle — but also through the negligence of the one who held that blaster and chose the targets."
I hope I wasn't too cryptic with the hints about Palpatine, whom Jade had personally served. He was the one who chose targets for her. And only his grace provided her with everything necessary for a comfortable life without want.
"Perhaps you would be so kind as to tell me how you intend to use the resources you want to reclaim?" she asked.
"I'm afraid that information goes beyond the credit of trust I've extended to Mr. Karrde's organization today," looking at the "Claw," I rejoiced to see his cautious, wary glances toward Jade. "But I dare to assure you that every reclaimed resource will serve the cause of restoring peace and order to the galaxy."
"Even if the rulers of the Imperial Remnant are against it?" Karrde inquired.
"The opinion of those who brought the Empire to the state it's in now interests me the least." Jade's eyes met mine. And now there was a little less hatred and suspicion in hers. But a droplet of hope was still there. That was already good.
The Claw was clever and perceptive enough to draw conclusions from my conversation with Jade. At the very least, the stray thought that Mara had previously worked for the Empire. Pellaeon's words that we knew her identity, the talk about reclaiming "resources" especially Mara's interest in the consequences of reclaiming them — would help him reach the right conclusion.
Karrde adored his organization. And he must understand that loyalty from Mara toward anyone but him put his people at risk. Let's see what wins — his loyalty to those who had served him for years, or, in a certain sense, his interest in this girl.
"Well," I said, rising from the table. "It's a great pity we couldn't find common ground, Mr. Karrde. I hope we'll have more than one good reason for a personal meeting in the future."
"If I find anything that ever belonged to the Empire or meets the criteria you mentioned," Karrde followed me, "I will consider you my foremost client."
"Your efforts will be rewarded at the highest rate," I assured him. "Do you mind if your first officer accompanies me to the shuttle?"
"Yes, of course," Karrde, hardly believing his luck. "Yes," he caught himself. "Mara, be so kind as to escort the Grand Admiral."
"Leaving already?" the red-haired vixen inquired.
"Yes," I assured her, looking into the eyes of Mara Jade as she approached. "Everything I wanted to do, I've already done."
Still, I have to say — Luke Skywalker was incredibly lucky in his choice of future wife. Or, more correctly, he will be lucky.
Or maybe not.
* * *
"That was low of you," Jade hissed as soon as we were outside. "After so many years..."
"You're welcome," I said, noting that Rukh was squatting next to the stormtrooper squad leader. Excellent.
The soldiers, surrounding me and my companion in two short columns, began to escort us to our shuttle.
"What?" the girl was taken aback. "What are you even talking about?"
"It seemed to me that from your lips came words of gratitude for my help in determining your loyalty, Emperor's Hand," I said. "Or has a well-fed and carefree life among smugglers washed out of your head everything you served the Emperor for?"
"The Emperor is dead," Jade said with pain. "And the Empire I served no longer exists. Only power-hungry politickers remain, who dream only of declaring themselves the next Emperor."
"I recall that in the past you destroyed such undesirable elements," I noted. "Why did things stop after Endor?"
"The orders came from the Emperor," she stated in a tone that brooked no argument. "No one else had that right. No one, not even the highest Imperial command, knew me by sight. No money, no means of survival. I had to survive as best I could. Amazing that you had no trouble identifying me."
"You're not the only one with a good memory. You were present at the secret ceremony marking my promotion to Grand Admiral," I reminded her. "That's hard to forget."
Mara fell silent.
"The Emperor's death broke me," she said unexpectedly.
"As regrettable as it is to admit it, yes," I agreed. "So it's up to you — return to the fold, or continue picking up crumbs behind Karrde, playing a game with him whose purpose is to learn about your past. I'm sure he won't be pleased with what he finds."
"Thanks to your hints, he won't have to rack his brains for long," Jade stated. "You could have saved yourself time and just offered me 'service' in plain text."
"And that's exactly what I did." Looking at Jade, I saw her biting her lips. A sign of indecision. There was a struggle inside her. "Trust that can be broken by a few vague hints isn't worth anything. Nothing keeps you with these people."
"You're wrong," Mara countered. "I'm grateful to them for a lot."
"Every gratitude has its limits," I declared. "Especially with those who hypocritically proclaim neutrality but work diligently for those they believe hold the future. I suspect you weren't aware of the situation with the Star Destroyer Virulence."
"You knew that for sure," the woman stated. "Don't think you're smarter than everyone else, Grand Admiral. Just because the Emperor favored you doesn't mean I wasn't trained to resist your genius."
"I'll take note of that." We approached the Lambda. At my command, the stormtroopers quickly boarded the ship. "You can make a choice here and now, Emperor's Hand. Come with me, and together we will make the galaxy better and cleaner."
"An excellent offer," Mara sneered. "But I'm satisfied with what I have now. My obligations to the Empire are fulfilled. You're a man of honor, Grand Admiral. You understand."
"Disappointing," I said, heading up the ramp. I stopped and turned to her, recalling something from the trilogy's plot. "You lied to me about one thing, Mara Jade. There's one order you still haven't carried out."
"Which one?" the redhead inquired.
"The Emperor's last order," I said calmly, watching the young girl's face go pale. "Luke Skywalker is still alive."
* * *
The Millennium Falcon lifted off from the landing pad. The antigravs roared like a herd of frightened banthas, and Han Solo once again promised himself he'd get the ship fixed properly. Someday.
Right now, the Falcon flew reliably enough and could carry out the missions assigned to it. The only question was whether the one piloting the ship was handling them.
"I know, I know," Han said, hearing the roar of the Wookiee sitting beside him. "The hydraulics are acting up again. We'll fix it when we get back to Coruscant."
Chewbacca let out another series of throaty sounds.
"No, this time for real." But Han knew he was just playing with words again. How many times had he promised to fix the ship? About a hundred already. And that was just this month. "If there's time."
The Wookiee shook his head disapprovingly.
"The main thing right now is to figure out what the hell is going on," Han said thoughtfully, almost automatically piloting the ship toward the upper atmosphere.
Han Solo and Chewbacca
He might tell his former smuggler friends that his general's rank bars were long since in the trash, but that wasn't true. Not entirely true.
Han could lie all he wanted, but the fact remained — he was carrying out a mission for the New Republic. Looking for those who would agree to restart interstellar trade, which had thinned out considerably over the past five and a half years. And that was already practically a crisis for the new government settling in on Coruscant. No shipping meant no supplies, leading to famine, unrest...
Though he was more than certain that what the New Republic government worried about most was the lack of taxes. The budget was torn apart like Palpatine trying to destroy the Rebel Alliance. There wasn't enough money. And yet life in the galaxy had to be rebuilt.
And ships had to be repaired, which, every now and then, kept fighting the Imperial remnants...
"You know, Chewie," he said. "I think our old friend, the one we asked to deliver the offer of legal trade to the smugglers, actually believes the Empire has another Grand Admiral stashed away somewhere."
Chewbacca growled his opinion.
"I know, I know we gave them a good beating," Han shook his head. "Hell of a funny thing happened at Obroa-skai. A Star Destroyer running from four frigates and a squadron of X-wings... Oh, if the Imperials had known all those Nebulon-Bs were about to fall apart from engine strain, I'll bet they wouldn't have run..."
The Wookiee howled softly.
"What plan?" Han waved dismissively. "Who among them is even capable of making a plan? They sit there in their sectors, scraping by on the crumbs they got. Kuat is ours, almost all the Core Worlds and up to the Middle Rim — all the significant systems are under New Republic control. The Imperials should just sit tight and keep their heads down, or better yet, think about peace instead of rattling their sabers. Then maybe they wouldn't have had the rest of their territories taken from them." Han laughed. But the grin faded from his face. Chewbacca looked at his friend and rumbled questioningly.
"Yeah, Chewie," Solo agreed. "It sounds like I'm reassuring myself. You can tell yourself as much as you want that we're stronger, our soldiers are better trained, and we destroyed almost all their Grand Admirals, but the fact remains. Smugglers don't want to go into our sectors, preferring to work for the Remnant. Maybe I should meet Talon Karrde and talk to him directly? Seems like he's running things now..."
Chewbacca growled everything he thought about his friend's idea. And his opinion was far from positive.
"What else is there to do, Chewie?" Han asked rhetorically. "Without freighters and shipping, the New Republic won't last a few years. If Ackbar and the Provisional Council don't come up with something soon, consider us dead. The Empire will take us while we're still warm. They won't even have to fight — they'll use their support ships to supply the sectors with goods, and those sectors will switch their allegiances again... Yeah, pal," he agreed with his hairy friend's words. "The New Republic is in another crisis. If our house of cards gets shaken hard enough, it'll collapse. Let's hope the Empire doesn't have anyone left who can pull that off."