“I’m sending the data across now,” Bel Iblis said. “Commander Horn, take a look, please.”
“Understood, sir,” Rogue Nine said, his voice no longer puzzled. So he’d caught on, too. “Yes. That freighter listed as the Sycophant Jolly&mdashover at the far side of the pack? I believe that could actually be the Hoopster’s Prank, one of Booster’s ships.”
“I see,” Bel Iblis said, his voice suddenly heavy with official weight. “I recognize your familial relationship with Captain Terrik, Commander, and I realize that this is going to be personally painful for you. But you’re an officer of the New Republic Fleet; and we cannot and will not bend the rules against smuggling for anyone.”
“We understand, sir,” Wedge said, pitching his tone to the same seriousness level. “Request permission to check out this suspect ship.”
“Permission granted, Rogue Squadron,” Bel. Iblis said. “Be careful not to accidentally engage the Frezhlix forces.”
“Understood, sir,” Wedge said. “Rogue Squadron, form up around me.”
Kicking power to the drive, he swung the X-wing away from the Peregrine. “Looks like the most direct route to the Sycophant Jolly is right through the middle of the Frezhlix blockade force,” Rogue Eight commented.
“And we certainly don’t want to give them time to dump any contraband while we fly around,” Rogue Nine agreed.
“I guess we’ll have to go through the blockade, then,” Rogue Two concluded. “Just everyone be careful not to accidentally engage.”
“Very careful,” Wedge said. “Let’s do it.”
They were halfway to the Frezhlix forces before the alien commander suddenly seemed to notice what was happening. “General Bel Iblis, what are your starfighters doing?” he demanded. “You have no legal justification for an attack on my ships.”
“Your ships are not under attack, Speaker Plarx,” Bel Iblis assured him. “We’ve identified one of the freighters waiting beyond your delegation as a smuggler flying under a false ID. By New Republic law, we have both the right and the duty to board any such ship and impound its cargo.”
It was forever afterward unclear to Wedge just what exactly the Frezhlix commander thought was going to happen next. Whether he thought Bel Iblis was planning to transfer the perishable cargo from all hundred-odd freighters to the Peregrine, or just declare all the freighters suspect and insist they be escorted down to the planet for a proper search. But whichever it was, he leaped to the wrong conclusion-and the bait-with both hands. “No!” Plarx shouted. “They are not to approach. Do you hear? They will not approach.”
“You can’t stop us,” Wedge put in. “Move out of the way; we’re coming through.”
“No!” the Frezh shouted. There was a jabber of a hissing, guttural language, and then the comm abruptly shut off. Wedge took a deep breath, preparing himself&mdash
And suddenly the Frezhlix battle-wagons opened fire. “Evasive!” Wedge snapped, twisting his X-wing hard to starboard as the laser blasts blazed past, one of the shots nearly taking off his upper portside engines. There was another snarl of hissing gutturals, and another salvo of laser fire shot by. “Rogues, reform,” he called. “Return to fleet.” Turning his nose farther around, ducking under one final blast of enemy laser fire, he headed back toward the Peregrine.
But the Dreadnought was no longer there. It and the rest of the New Republic fleet, reconfiguring into the general’s favorite combat formation, were moving decisively toward the Frezhlix blockade force.
Something that sounded like a wheezing squawk came over the comm. “New Republic force!” the Frezhlix commander snarled. “What are you doing? You have no right to move against me.”
“On the contrary, Speaker Plarx,” Bel Iblis said, his voice suddenly blade-sharp. “I have every right. You have just opened fire on New Republic spacecraft. Surrender immediately, or prepare to be destroyed.”
“I protest!” Plan gasped. “Your ships provoked us into defending ourselves.”
“Last chance, Speaker,” Bel Iblis said. “Surrender or face the consequences.”
There was a snarl of gutturals; and as the Rogues reached the Peregrine and curved around again into their positions in the battle formation Wedge saw that the Frezhlix ships had abandoned their blockade and were turning their guns to face the oncoming New Republic force. Fleetingly, Wedge wondered if Bel Iblis would be gracious enough to simply hold position in the standoff now that he’d broken the blockade, or if he’d insist on making the Frezhlix pay for their aggression.