[Black Fleet Crisis(95)
The body and the spirit of the vermin were fatally polluted by impurities of blood and honor. Their thousands of species had the same quality of unity as a handful of pebbles-each still separate, and its separate identity preventing it from merging into a greater whole. The vermin were contentiously divided, selfishly predatory, foolishly trusting, relentlessly irrational, fatally idealistic. Not a one of them had earned his respect. And none had earned more of his contempt than Tig Peramis, the traitor whose face now filled both displays.
“I do, ” Peramis was saying.
They will kill you slowly when they learn what you have done, thought Nil Spaar, and you will well deserve it.
“Then proceed with your presentation, ” said Behn-kihl-nahm.
A signal light appeared before Nil Spaar, and he muted the grid displays.
“Yes, Senator, ” he said. “I am here. “
His long fingers steepled with gentle precision, Hiram Drayson leaned back in his chair and watched as the face on the Senate monitor changed from that of Tig Peramis to that of Nil Spaar.
Drayson had hoped for-though not expected-a glimpse inside theAramadia , but the Yevetha had avoided that bit of carelessness.
Wherever Nil Spaar was transmitting from, the space behind him appeared as empty and unenlightening as a blank bulkhead.
Given the universal propensity of starship designers to fill every available space, Drayson suspected the use of a screen, either physical or electronic.
“Before I begin, I want to share my deep regret over the unfortunate casualties resulting from our ascent from Eastport, ” the viceroy said.
“It was with great sorrow that I learned that our warnings had not been honored and the thrust radius of theAramadia had not been cleared. We had no thought or intention of injuring anyone. We left Eastport to avoid a confrontation, not to cause one. “
“Oh, very good, ” Drayson said to himself, nodding. “Well done. “
“I regret the casualties, ” Nil Spaar went on, “but I cannot take responsibility for them. For more than three days we requested clearance to leave Coruscant. Three members of your Senate witnessed two such attempts and can testify that we received only silence in reply.
“We warned the tower at Eastport and the president that we would raise ship without clearance if they left us no other choice. Their only response was to surround our ship with more soldiers and replace the ground crews with agents of the Intelligence Service. “
“Ah! ” Drayson thought. Very interesting. Now, is it that you think they’ll believe any accusation against the Service, or do you have an honest card to play to help sell the lies?
Allowing his fingers to lace together, Drayson rocked slowly in his chair as he listened for the answer.
“Stars on fire, ” Engh breathed. “Is it possible that any of this is true? Could there have been some sort of misunderstanding, and we didn’t hear them asking for clearance? “
“Shut up, ” Leia said.
Nearly every seat in the Senate chamber was full now. Those not occupied by their owners had been commandeered by curious interlopers. Dozens more staffers lingered in the aisles, along the back wall, and in the open areas near the entrance doors. The six-meter-tall image of Nil Spaar on the display boards commanded their attention more powerfully than anyone at the podium or in the well was accustomed to.
“It became clear that the government of Leia Organa intended to hold us here against our will, ” Nil Spaar said. “It became clear to me that we could not wait any longer. We risked losing not only the right of free navigation we had been promised, but the capacity to exercise it. Aramadia is a consular ship. It is ill equipped to repel an armed assault.
“I am sure that those of you who think you know Princess Leia Organa may doubt that she is capable of ordering soldiers to attack diplomats. After spending so many hours with her, I thought I knew her, and 1 would have trouble believing it, if there were not other evidence of her bad faith. “
The screen flickered, and Nil Spaar’s face was replaced by images of burned and twisted metal laid out on bronze decking. “What you see now is the wreck age of a New Republic spy ship which violated the territorial hegemony of the Duskhan League four days ago. It self-destructed when spotted by a local patrol vessel, but we were able to recover enough of it to identify its purpose and origin. “
At that moment, the audience in the Senate, in offices all over Imperial City, and on worlds throughout the New Republic saw Yevethan hands turn over a large fragment to reveal a recognizable portion of the New Republic seal-the blue crest, the ring of stars, and the gold circle.
Drayson leaned forward, staring, then slowly rose to his feet. “Bloody bilge—that’s no prowler. That’s a flatfish, or used to be. ” He stabbed at his communication computer with a finger. “Verify. “