[Dark Nest] - 3(89)
Leia looked back to Baltke and put the power of the Force into her voice. “Why do you think the Killiks can’t win?”
Baltke’s face twisted into a mask of resistance, but the truth drug made it impossible for him to lie.
“Because we have developed our own solution to the Killik problem,” he said. “And our plan will work.”
He tried to go to the door again, but Leia Force-shoved him up against the wall. “What kind of solution?”
“A p-permanent one.” Baltke cast a longing look toward the display screen, then said, “It’s not too late to save your husband. Just release me.”
“Han’s going to be just fine.” Leia used the Force to begin working the locks of the cuffs holding her in the chair. “You, on the other hand, are in trouble-or have you forgotten what I said about anything that happened to Han?”
“I remember.”
“Good.” The first cuff came loose. “You might want to be a little more informative about this ‘permanent solution.’ “
Baltke shook his head, but he could not resist the power of his own drug. “P-p-parasites.”
“Parasites?” Leia asked. The second cuff came undone. “You’re going to infect them with parasites?”
Baltke nodded. “Any minute now,” he said. “After the Killiks spring their trap.”
“Trap?”
“You know,” he said. “Isn’t that why you turned back from the Shattered Moon?”
Leia’s jaw fell. “You know about the Killiks hiding there?”
“We suspected.” Baltke seemed almost proud. “We’re counting on them to ambush us.”
“I don’t understand.” Leia stretched her hand toward the unconscious guard and summoned his charric pistol to hand. “Counting on their ambush for what?”
A low boom rolled out of the air vent behind Leia, and the whole room rocked.
“To deliver a resounding defeat to us,” Baltke said.
Leia understood the rest of the Chiss plan. “And tomorrow, all of the nests will have a huge victory dance.”
“That’s right,” Baltke said. “The Killiks aren’t the only ones who can play the infestation game.”
“How long?” Leia asked. When Baltke did not answer, she asked again, this time using the Force. “How long?”
“We’ll have to keep fighting for a while,” Baltke answered. “The parasite won’t be fatal for a year.”
“And by then, it will have spread throughout the whole Colony.”
Baltke smiled. “You see? We can win the war our way.”
“Are you mad?” Leia cried. “That’s speciecide!”
She used the Force to open her ankle restraints-then heard the cell door whirring open behind her. Thinking the other guard had returned with the vocoder Baltke had requested-or the officers watching from the control room had sent reinforcements-she threw herself out of the chair and rolled across the floor, then spun around, brought her captured charric pistol around … and found herself pointing it at the handsome face of her favorite scoundrel.
“Han?”
“Whoa-take it easy, Princess!” Han raised his hands. “I know I’m late, we had to take care of the control room first.”
“I don’t care!” Leia cried, recovering from her shock. She threw herself into Han’s arms, barely noticing as Cakhmaim and Meewalh slipped past to take control of Baltke and the unconscious guard. Then she reached up and touched his ears. “They’re both there!”
“Honey, are you okay?” Han moved her back from him and studied her with a concerned look-until he noticed the display screen in the corner, which continued to show the medic and the torturer standing beside Han’s bloody head. “Hey! That poor rodder looks like me!”
TWENTY
A familiar voice echoing down a long tunnel … a hammer pounding inside her head, a centrifuge spinning her through the darkness … aching cold below the knees, aching cold from the shoulders up.
Nothing between. Just numb.
Then the voice again, calling Mara back, commanding her attention.
Luke giving orders … too fast. Not quite near enough to follow.
Slow down, Skywalker!
Luke continued. “Nothinghaschanged. We’re burruburrub,” he was saying, “uruburruplan. Cilghalwillbe in urburbubu collection teams, thenserveas Kyle’s scientific adviser urburub dispersal operations inside the Colony proper.”
Mara opened her eyes and found herself staring up at a blinding white blur. Everything smelled of stericlean, and there were machines hissing and whirring all around. She tried to sit up and found herself held tight by a strap across her chest.