Refugee: Force Heretic II by Sean Williams Read Free Book Online Page A

said. “We have a new name now: the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances.”
    “And the Empire has freely joined this Alliance?” Irolia asked, glancing at Yage.
    “It has,” the captain said.
    “I suppose the Chiss are welcome to join, too.”
    Luke seemed unfazed by the commander’s sarcasm. “The decision would be yours. But yes, you would indeed be welcome to join in due course.”
    Irolia snorted derisively but didn’t address the Jedi Master’s comment. Instead she said, “What concerns me the most here, I think, is the makeup of your senior crew.”
    Master Skywalker shrugged. “I have already explained that the military contingent is purely defensive.”
    “That might indeed be true. But the intention lies in its leaders. Mara Jade Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Jacen Solo—all renowned Jedi warriors.”
    “Danni Quee is an accomplished scientist,” Jacen pointed out.
    “Yes, I recognize that name. And Soron Hegerty we know, of course. They fit in with your stated aims.”
    Danni looked both startled and flattered to be recognized; Hegerty, on the other hand, showed no reaction at all.
    “But you also have a Barabel among you,” Irolia continued. “How does it fit in?”
    Saba stiffened.
    “
She
is a Jedi Knight,” Luke said.
    “Another warrior, then?”
    “Not in the sense that you mean.”
    “Really? Most reptilian species I’ve ever met have been aggressive and predatory.”
    Saba’s tail thumped the floor. She couldn’t help it.
    Captain Yage took a step forward at this. “Tell me, Commander, how would you feel if I were to tell you that most Chiss
I’ve
met have been arrogant and condescending.”
    Luke signaled for patience. “Saba is life-sensitive. We hope that she will detect Zonama Sekot by its Force emissions when we are near it.”
    “Have you had any luck so far in this?”
    “Not yet. That’s why we need to keep searching.”
    Irolia nodded after some thought. “Very well, Master Skywalker. I will agree to this only because we, too, would like to see this war brought to an end.” She signaled to her bodyguards, who handed her a flat, rectangular package about the same size as her outstretched hand. “This memory disk contains authority codes and routes sufficient to get you to Csilla. They will remain active for one week. In that time, you must present yourself in person to obtain permission to travel within our boundaries. Without that permission, any trespass will be regardedas an act of aggression, upon which you will be expelled or destroyed. Do I make myself clear?”
    Luke accepted the disk with a resigned look. “Abundantly clear.”
    “Then my mission here is complete.” Commander Irolia’s gaze briefly swept the room. “Perhaps we shall all meet again on Csilla.”
    “That’s all you came here for?” Captain Yage asked. “To tell us to report to your superiors?”
    “Not quite,” Irolia answered. “I was ordered to give you the disk only if I thought you trustworthy.”
    “And if we weren’t?”
    The Chiss commander smiled at this, but said nothing in reply. She simply nodded farewell and, with an imperious gesture, ordered her bodyguards to follow her as she strolled from the bridge.
    “Why that trumped-up little—”
    Again, Luke silenced Captain Yage with a gesture. “She’s just doing her job, Arien. We can’t blame her for that.”
    “Nevertheless, I’ll be happier when she’s off my ship.” She turned away to coordinate the disembarkation of the Chiss shuttle.
    “I can understand perfectly where you’re coming from, Captain Yage.” The hologram broke into static, then cleared to reveal the face of Mara Jade Skywalker at the controls of
Jade Shadow
. “I don’t even want that woman on my
scopes.”
    “You caught all that, Mara?” Luke asked, facing the image of his wife in the holofield.
    “Loud and clear.”
    “What gets up my jets,” Yage said, “is the assumption that we’re answerable to them at all. The Empire has been